Shadows
by shadowno
Summary: The story of an orphan, and how he grew up witnessing the many stories of Final Fantasy VII, and his relationship with some of the characters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Rain was falling on Sector 8 of Midgar, it was night, yet the lone boy wandered aimlessly through the station. Hunger ate at him, but that wasn't new for him. He had been alone for a long time. His only memory of his family, his mother more precisely, was fraught with questions, ones that would never be answered. He couldn't even remember her face. Right now he didn't care. His only cares where getting out of the rain, and finding something to eat. He snuck up to one of the suited men that were boarding the train, and followed close enough to him that the conductor wouldn't question him. Once on the train, he split from the man, and sat down. He knew enough about Midgar to know where he needed to go. He would find no charity on the surface. He didn't want any either, but the slums held possibility. He could find an odd job, or maybe even steal some food from an unwary victim. The train made a few stops, and then finally, it was going beneath the surface to the slums. The boy stood up as the train neared the sector 8 slums, and walked over to the door, bumping into a man in the process.

"Watch where you're going runt!" the man said angrily, then pushed the boy away. The boy was the only one to get out at the stop. When the door closed, the boy quickly ran to the window of the train, and knocked on it. The man that had pushed him looked up towards him.

"What do you want?"

The boy held up the man's wallet in his hand, and smiled.

The man checked for his wallet as the train began moving forward, and glared at the boy. "You little…" the man yelled as the train moved away. The boy turned around, and began walking towards the stairs that led to the center of the slums. There he bought a sandwich and left the walls. He walked for close to ten minutes when he came upon an old church. He inched open the door, and after looking in to make sure it was safe, entered it quietly. He laid down on one of the benches, and closed his eyes.

-----

He awoke to screaming. Jumping up from his bed, he looked around, finally he realized that the screams were coming from outside. He ran out side, and saw the source of the screams. A woman was being attacked by two thugs. The boy quickly grabbed a brick from the deteriorating wall of the churched, and ran at the three people.

"Hey!" the boy yelled, getting the thugs' attention. He hit one of the thugs in the face with brick, knocking him unconscious. Before the first one even hit the ground, the boy threw the brick at the second one. The thug started toward the boy, his arm stretched out, a glint of silver flashing in his fist. To call it a knife would be a compliment, the jagged shard of steal was reddened with blood and rust. The thug thrust the knife forward. The boy leapt to the side, and kicked at the man, but he was too quick. The thug grabbed the boy's leg, and lifted the shard across his face. The boy fell to the ground, clutching his face in pain. The thug kneeled over the boy, and lifted his weapon, preparing to finish the boy off. Suddenly the thug fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The woman dropped the brick to the ground, and looked over the boy.

"You poor thing, I'd better get that taken care of" she said. She picked the boy up the best she could, and half carried, half dragged back to the sector 8 slums. She took him to her house, which was just outside the makeshift town. Taking him upstairs, she set him down on her extra bed. She quickly left the room, looking for her bandages. Before she got back, the boy slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

For the first time in ages, the boy slept peacefully. He didn't have nightmares of his past, or at least what he remembered of it. He had been alone since he could remember. A year ago, he had left the town of Kalm, and came to Midgar. For a year he lived on the streets, alone. Now and then he'd join with one or two others, but that never lasted long. Everyone was greedy; he had the scars to prove it. He just wished that he could figure out where he came from, where he belonged as well. He often wondered whether his parent's where alive or not, and where or not he had any siblings. This was the reason he had gone to Midgar, to find his family. But he didn't, he had been there a year, living off the street, avoiding arrest and death in hopes to finding his family.

-----

The boy woke up in the dark room, he shot up when he didn't recognize where he was. Then it all came flooding back to him, the fight, and the woman. He climbed out of the bed, and started towards the door. He walked downstairs, finding the woman slaving over the stove.

"About time you got up, you gave me quite a fright." She said, turning towards him. She motioned towards the table. "Sit down, I hope you like eggs."

The boy didn't say anything, but sat down none the less. He sat there silently, surveying his surroundings when the woman spoke again.

"I'm Elmyra, what's your name?" She asked.

"Shadows don't have names."

"True, but you're not a shadow, you're a little boy. Besides, how am I supposed to find your parents if you don't tell me your name?"

"I don't have them either."

"You're an orphan?"

"Yes."

Elmyra went silent for a moment; the sound of the sausage sizzling sound filled the room. Finally, she spoke again.

"Well, I can't let you just go out and be alone. You're staying here."

"I'd rather…"

"It's too late, it's decided. You can stay here; this is your new home."

"I don't' know if that's a good Idea ma'am."

"My name isn't ma'am, its Elmyra, Elmyra Gainsborough."

"Well Mrs. Gainsborough, I really don't think…"

"There's no discussion. Besides, it's been lonely here without my husband."

The boy didn't know why, but he was starting to take a liking to the woman. The last sentence ended all resistance he had left.

"Ok, I'll stay."

"Good, I'm glad we agree, Now, all we need is a name for you."

"Shadows don't have names."

-----

Shadow did in fact stay with Elmyra. He helped her with the shopping, and other house hold chores. One thing he noticed though was she never took him with her when she went to the train station. She never told him why she went everyday, but he knew. She was waiting for her husband. She couldn't accept what he believed to be the truth. Her husband was dead. Either that or he had found another life elsewhere. None the less, he noted how she went there everyday, how she was devoted to the man she loved. That was a new concept for him, Love. Months went by, he forgot his search for his family. He had found a new family. He loved her like a mother, and he could tell he was a son to her. There was one void that he couldn't fill, but he understood that. Four years later, something happened that changed it all.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was a horribly rainy day, he was worried, Elmyra hadn't returned from her trip to the station. He sat in the kitchen, cooking supper in hopes to surprise her when she got home. It was ten minutes later when he heard her voice.

"Shadow, Come help me!" She called from outside.

He grabbed his dagger, and ran outside. He didn't find what he expected. Instead of thugs trying to mug her, he saw her. Then he saw it, the young child in her arms. He quickly ran over to her, and grabbed the child from her. He took the child inside, and took her to his room, where he put her in the bed. He went back down stairs to find Elmyra. He found her sitting at the kitchen table, tired from carrying the child from the station. Shadow sat down next to her, waiting for her to catch her breath. When she did, he spoke.

"She sick?"

"No, I think she's just tired. She and her mother seemed to be running from something."

"Where's her mother now?"

"She's dead. Died right after asking me to watch over her Aerith."

"Who?"

"The girl."

"Ok, well, I don't know what to say really."

"I don't either, it's not everyday I have this happen."

"Are you going to keep her?"

"She's not an animal Shadow. I can't let that poor girl be all alone."

Shadow nodded in agreement. His head was swimming in questions and thoughts. He knew things would change now, but he wasn't sure how. What if she threw him out? No, that wouldn't happen. He knew her better than that. Elmyra was a mother to him, and that wouldn't change no matter what.

The next day, the girl woke up. She didn't say much, but they were able to confirm that her name was Aerith. She sat at the table most of the day, a sad look on her face. Shortly after supper, Elmyra pulled Aerith into another room to talk to her; Shadow took this chance to get out of the house. He walked the streets of the slums, lost in thought. A voice rang out from the darkness.

"Shadow? Is that really you?"

Shadow spun around, his hand shot down to the blade hidden in his belt. He saw the one who had spoken, and quickly pulled the knife.

"Calm down Shadow, I'm not going to kill you this time."

"What do you want Ferret?"

Ferret's real name was Markus, but he got a new name, as did everyone, when they joined the little street gang. Ferret was just one of the four remaining members. Shadow was the fifth.

"Well… for starters… HOW ABOUT OUR GIL!"

"It wasn't yours to begin with. I just added another stop the cycle."

"You stole it from us!"

"And you guys stole it from others."

"Fare and square!"

"As did I."

"Gah! I swear to god, if Bull hadn't told us not to touch you, I'd kill you right now."

"He's not here now, why don't you come at me, and we'll see who the better fighter is."

"Whatever, you're not worth it, but now that I know where you are, we'll be paying you a visit."

"I look forward to it."

Ferret glared at shadow for a moment, and then slowly receded into the darkness. Shadow stood alone in the middle of the street. For a moment, he saw himself return to his former self, and he definitely didn't want that. And what now? He had been found by the people he least wanted to be found by. He admitted to himself that he had screwed them over, but that was just the way of the streets. And what was Ferret doing here of all places. The gang usually was in the lower part of sector 6. Whatever the reason, Shadow had to avoid them at all cost. For Elmyra's sake.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Time passed, and Shadow stayed with Elmyra and Aerith. He hadn't seen any sign of Ferret, nor any of his other former gang. Aerith was ten now, Shadow fourteen. She had grown on him, so much so that he saw her as a sister. He enjoyed taking her to the old chapel where he had slept the night before he met Elmyra. They got a shock the day that the plant cracked through the floor, a flower. Midgar was supposed to be void of them, so how was it this one managed to grow? At Aerith's insistence, he broke through the floor, shocked to discover small garden beneath it. They both stared at the small garden before Aerith spoke.

"I'm going to get some for the house." She exclaimed, running towards the small patch. As she reached the edge, Shadow spoke out.

"Wait!" he said, walking over to Aerith, who looked confused. He knelt down beside her, and looked up at her. "Flowers are delicate, you can't just trample them.

"Oh," Aerith sighed. "Sorry about that."

"It's OK, but let me gather the flowers, cause they're delicate and if you want them to grow, you have to harvest them the right way."

"Really? How?"

"You have to dig below it, and get the whole flower, not just what grows above the ground."

"Oh, OK." She sat down next to him, and dug her hand into the ground. "Like this?"

"Yeah, you got it. Now grab a couple of them and we can get home to mom."

"Uh huh."

--

Shadow and Aerith walked through the slums on there way back to the house. That's when they bumped into him.

"Well I'll be damned if Ferret wasn't bull shitting me. Is that really you Shadow?"

Shadows' eyes widened. "Bull… what are you doing here?"

"Shadow? Who is he?" Aerith asked.

"What? Shadow, I'm shocked." Bull said mockingly, he grasped his own chest as if in pain. "I'm heart broken that you haven't told your new friend about me."

"Leave her out of this Bull."

Ignoring Shadow, Bull reached out toward Aerith, who stepped back quickly.

"Ungrateful little bitch isn't she?" Bull mocked Shadow. Then quickly slapped Aerith.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Shadow roared out, tackling Bull to the ground. He hit him in the face, once, twice. As he attempted the third time, Bull threw him off easily. "Guys, let's take him."

The three other members came out from behind one of the piles of trash that were scattered around the slums. They all jumped Shadow before he had a chance to fight back. Wrestling him to the ground, they all started kicking at him. Aerith screamed at them desperately to stop.

"Wait your turn your little slut, we'll have our fun with you!" yelled Ferret angrily. As he turned back towards Shadow, the rock smashed into the back of his head.

"Fuck!" he yelled out, getting the other's attention."

"What happened?" The only female, Mantis, asked him.

"Bitch threw a rock at me."

"stop being a bitch Ferret, go teach her a lesson." Bull egged him on.

Ferret turned and started to walk towards Aerith. Who quickly turned and ran. She ran out of site, as Ferret followed her, taunting her and threatening her.

"When I'm done with you bitch, your mother won't even recognize you." he said as he came around the corner. He found Aerith, and some unexpected trouble.

"heh, to think they said I had problems eh Rude?" the redhead said with a smirk.

The taller of the two nodded in agreement.

"hey, you two better back off. All I want is the girl!"

"too bad, you're not gonna get her."

"You have no idea who you are fucking with! WE OWN THE STRE..."

The lead pipe that slammed against his head shut him up pretty quick. Ferret lay on the ground unconscious and bleeding. The two old guys stepped around him, Aerith followed them, actually jumping on Ferrets stomach as she did so. They approached the other teens, still occupied in beating Shadow.

"Hey!" The Redhead called out, announcing there presence. The three teens looked up. "What the hell do you think you're doing."

"back off you anorexic fagot." bull said threateningly. "We own these streets, and we do what we want."

Amused the redhead looked around, and then smirked at his friend. Finally he turned back to the other three. "These aren't the streets, these are the slums." He said matter of factly. "down here, Reno and Rude run things." Then turned back to talk with Rude

Bull laughed. "Reno and Rude, sounds like a couple of fags to me."

Reno looked back at Bull, a shocked, and then looked at Rude speechless. Rude hurriedly fixed the color of his jacket. Reno looked down towards the ground, and then without warning, he and Rude charged at the trio. Reno Swung his Lead pipe at Bull, who quickly leaned his head back, causing the blow to miss and instead, hit his male companion, Fang. Fang stumbled away, hurt, as Bull swung a punch at Reno's face. Reno ducked, and the fist flew over him, straight into the hand of Rude, who caught the punch and quickly twisted his body, throwing Bull to the ground. Reno meanwhile, tripped mantis with his pipe, and kicked her in the side. Just as this happened, Fang was back up and ran at Reno, who responded by kicking him in the chest. Reno then turned to look for Rude, but was interrupted by Bull, who had knocked the big guy down, and rushed at Reno, tackling him to the ground. Reno groaned as Bull climbed off of him, and stomped down on his stomach.

"Streets or not, I own it." Bull bragged. His bragging was cut short when Shadow, who had recovered, wrapped his arm around Bull's throat, strangling him. Desperately, Bull reached back over his head, trying, but failing, to get a hold of Shadow. Then he started backing Shadow into one of the nearby broken down cars, repeatedly bashing him against it, but Shadow stayed vigilant, and it wasn't long before Bull was on his knees, to weak to fight back.

"Shadow, stop it!" Aerith begged him. "You'll kill him."

"He deserves it!" Shadow snapped at Aerith, whose eyes filled with tears. Shadow immediately felt regret, and released Bull, who quickly crawled away. "Come on Aerith, let's get out of here. Are the flowers OK?"

"Yup" Aerith said happily, and took Shadow's hand, as they walked home together.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Shadow and Aerith arrived back at the house, they were surprised to find two Shinra guards standing outside of it. Looking around quickly, Shadow didn't see any others. He turned to Aerith, and kneeled down so that he was eye level with her.

"Why are they here?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, but I'm going to go find out. Wait here for me until I come back. If something bad happens, I want you to run back to the church. Got it?"

Aerith nodded, though he could tell from here look that there was no way she'd do anything of the sort. Shadow stood up, and approached the house. When he got near, the guards readied there weapons. Shadow knew the chances of success against two assault rifles. The three men stood there silently, he could tell they were trying to size him up. He decided to play it cool, he walked over to the pile of material he had salvaged from the slums for repairs on the house when it needed it. Placing his hand on a hammer, he spoke.

"So what is Shinra doing down here in the slums?"

The two men remained silence, their weapons aimed at him. Despite the nervousness in his mind, he couldn't help but smile from the subconscious thrill of the danger.

"If you two are out here, who's inside?" He asked, again neither of the men even acknowledged. That's when the voice came from inside the house.  
"I said no!" Elmyra yelled, a desperate tone in her voice. This was enough for Shadow. Whipping the hammer at one of the guards, he rushed the other. The first guard was hit in the face, causing him to clutch his face in pain. The other one, a rookie luckily for Shadow, was distracted by his partners screams. By the time he thought to aim his weapon, Shadow was upon him. He lifted the weapon to shoot Shadow, but Shadow easily knocked the weapon away. He smashed his elbow into the mans face, knocking him unconscious. He quickly snatched up the fallen rifle, and smashed the butt of it into the other mans face. Without stopping, he kicked open the door inside, aiming the gun at the man inside. The man quickly, much quicker than Shadow would have been able to, drew a pistol from a holster, aiming it at Shadow. They stood there silently, Shadow knew that this man wasn't a pawn of Shinra like the other two had been.

"Mines Automatic." He said, moving the rifle a little. "Your little pea shooter doesn't stand a chance."

The man smiled, he knew Shadow was attempting to bluff, and Shadow knew he knew. Then to Shadow's surprise, he lowered his pistol.

"What happened to the guards?" The man asked.

"Unconscious." Shadow replied simply.

The man walked past Shadow, heading to the door. When he got there, he turned back. "Think about what I said Ms. Gainsborough. I will return in time, and you boy." he added towards Shadow. "You can expect me to see you again as well." The man turned and exited the house. Shadow stood still for a moment, contemplating whether he should go after the man or not.

"God damn Turks, damn Shinra, think they have a right to anyone." Elmyra said, her face red in anger. Before she could continue, Aerith entered through the door.

"The bad guys left." She said cheerfully. She ran over to Shadow, crashing into him and wrapping her arms around him. "thank you brother for protecting mom, you were brave."

Before Shadow could respond to her, Elmyra spoke. "Aerith, why don't you go upstairs and play."

"But mom..." Aerith started to protest.

"Please Hun, it's just for a little while."

"OK." Aerith said, and slowly started up the stairs. As soon as she had disappeared, Elmyra grabbed Shadow by the arm, and guided him outside.

"I'm sure you have noticed that Aerith has something special about her." She said. Shadow nodded in reply.

"As have I, that visit just now confirmed it. I'm sure you know of the Turks by now."

"Yeah" Shadow replied. "They're like scouts for soldier, but word in the streets are that they are involved in other things."

"That man was Tseng, one of the Turks. He came here for Aerith. He said that she was an Ancient." Elmyra explained.

"Ancient? Is that possible? I thought that they went extinct."

"I did too, but according to Tseng, Aerith is the last one known to survive."

"Well, knowing Shinra, the reason they want her is for some sort of experiment."

"I know, Tseng didn't say it, but I could tell that it was the reason he was here. Shadow, I have something to ask of you."

"Anything for you Elmyra. Anything for Aerith."

"Shadow, I want to protect Aerith, as I know you do. But I think to fight directly would be suicide."

"So what is your plan then?"

"Shadow, I want you inside Shinra. I think you should join Soldier."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Shadow was amazed at how easy it was to sign up for the elite organization. He knew that he wasn't even close to being excepted though. He was currently in the back of a military transport, heading towards a training facility outside of Midgar. He sat on a bench, next two men. Three more were sitting across from them. He sat in the truck silently while the others were getting acquainted.

"So, you two are brothers?" asked one of the men.

"Yup, Weiss and I plan on becoming the best SOLDIERS ever. We'll even surpass the boy general."

Shadow had heard of the boy General, only about his age and already considered by many to be the strongest SOLDIER in the world.

"Nero, that is everyones plan in the long run." The man sitting next to him said. "My true plan is to revolutionize the world."

"oh great, another one of you freaks. The world is already revolutionized, my future employers have taken care of it." said one of the men on the other side of the truck.

Ignoring him, Weiss turned to Shadow. "What's your story?"

"I'm in it for the money." Shadow lied. "Also, I think that being in SOLDIER will help me become stronger." The second part wasn't a lie, he had thought about it after awhile and admitted that it would help him become stronger, teaching him things he'd be able to learn no where else. The men continued to sit quietly, now and then making small talk until finally, they arrived at the facility. Moments after stopping, the back was thrown open. Four or Five people stood there, four were dressed in red uniforms, one in black. Immediately, Shadow noted that he must have been the boss. They were ordered to get out of the truck, and follow one of the people, a woman who looked to be in her twenty's. Two more people followed them, two men, both in red. They lead them to their barracks, where they were provided bunks and uniforms, green colored. They were ordered to set up there rooms and change into your uniforms. Shadow and the two brothers were in one room, the other three in the other. Five minutes later, they were lined up outside. Before them, stood the woman who had lead them to there bunks. With her were two men, both Clad in blue. The woman addressed the six trainees.

"You are all now my property." she said, her voice had a manly sound, despite her beauty. "If you look down, you will see your uniforms are green. There are three colors in SOLDIER. Each signifies a class. Blue, as my helpers wear, are third class. Red, is second class. Black is first. You are wearing green, meaning you are not in SOLDIER, you do not deserve that title. You are nothing until I say so, you are no one until I say so. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am" They replied in unison.

"Good, I am Sierra Chantier. You're lucky, I'm the kindest trainer in this camp." She turned to her helpers. "Continue basic Entry PT tests." she ordered, walking away to the on coming man, the one Shadow had seen earlier in black.

--&--

Five men returned to the Barracks that night, they were all completely exhausted from there first day. One of the men from the other room had already been kicked out, "You have a long walk back to Midgar." They had told him before sending him packing. He was forced to leave immediately. One day had gone by, and they were already one less. They went straight to there rooms. Laying in bed, he talked with Nero and Weiss.

"So Shadow, what's the real reason you're here?" Weiss asked him.

"I thought I said the money?" Shadow replied.

"Come on, there are different types of people in this world, you're not that type. You're here for another reason. Perhaps you wish to protect someone?"

"OK, yeah, that's why I'm here."

"ah, knowing that with SOLDIER training, you will become stronger. Who is it, your girlfriend?" Nero asked.

"It's my sister." Shadow answered. He was glad that they hadn't completely figured him out. Looking at Weiss however, Shadow knew that he would not be able to convince him as easily as his brother.

"Let's get some sleep." Weiss said, eying Shadow with suspicion. "I'm sure that tomorrow won't be any easier."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The training was ruthless, the weather wasn't much better. Shadow had been in the training camp seven months, and it seemed to rain every other day for the first three of them. Then winter came, and with it, wicked snow storms. Despite this, Angeal Hewley, the commander of the camp, ordered the instructors to continue with training. This wasn't without it's benefits however. Shadow stood to the right of his instructor, Sierra. The snow was falling heavily today, as was standard during these months. Shadow was one of the lucky ones. His partner, Cicero, stood on the opposite side of her. They were both clad in their third class blue uniforms. Cicero had arrived three weeks after Shadow had. He and Shadow quickly became friends. The four of them had in fact. They were separated a month earlier, Cicero and Shadow moving into the third barracks, Nero assigned to the first. Weiss had been transferred to the Officers barracks, having been promoted to second class after only 6 months, a camp record in fact. He was now a trainer. He had assigned his brother under his command.

"Shadow, look at that coward." Cicero interrupted his thoughts, pointing over towards a supply shed. Shadow looked, just in time to see one of the green clad inductees duck inside, out of the storm. Shadow was immediately over come with anger, he recognized the man easily. He started towards the the shed just as the rest of the SOLDIER hopefuls fell back into line. Sierra's orders went unheard to Shadow, the sound of the raging storm downing them out. He kept walking towards the shed. Upon reaching it, he kicked the door open, the man inside quickly jumped up from his sitting position, his eyes quickly turned to nervousness when he saw Shadow standing in the doorway, covered in snow. Shadow closed the door behind him, and brushed himself off. Nervously, the man tried to make light of the situation.

"Hell of a storm out there sir, we don't really get it this bad back in Nibelheim."

"Strife, you're not talking your way out of this one. I'm not Hewley." Upon saying this, he gripped the young man, barely 14, by the collar. "I knew you were trash the moment you got here. You don't have what it takes to be in SOLDIER."

Cloud's eyes filled with tears, then shifted to rage. "Yeah I do! I'm twice the SOLDIER than anyone else here."

"You'll never been in SOLDIER. Get back to the squad, I'm going to go straight to Hewley, I suggest you pack when you get back to the barracks tonight. If I have my way, you'll be on the first truck tomorrow." Shadow released Cloud, whose eyes were watering at the threat. Shadow shove him roughly, causing his head to crash into the wall behind him. Shadow stormed out of the shed, heading straight for the Officers quarters, where Angeal's office was located.

--##--

Shadow stood in the dawn of what was turning out to be the worst storm they had had to this point since he was assigned to the training camp. His spirits were high, as he watched the rejects board the bus. The blond stuck out the most to him however. Cloud Strife gave him a fierce look as he passed him, which Shadow responded to with a smile. Shadow watched as the truck started up, and drove out of the camp. He turned and was heading towards the cafeteria to get his ration of slop that they called food before the day began. He hadn't made it half way there when he heard a commotion back towards the entrance. He rushed back to the gate, the rookie called down to him. "Sir, Wutai rebels on the horizon. They're coming towards the camp!" Shadows mind raced, most of the men on the base weren't even SOLDIER yet, and most of the group hadn't even been there a month. He quickly climbed the ladder to the watch tower. Looking out over the horizon, he saw them. When Shinra had taken Wutai, most of the army had escaped. Most of them joined the Wutai rebel group. The small training camp was currently being marched upon by what seemed like five hundred men. Shadow grabbed the trainee by the collar. "Go report to Hewley, tell him we're under attack, raise the alarm. The terrified man wasted no time running over towards the ladder and descending it. Shadow looked back out over the horizon. Aerith and Elmyra lay forgotten, as the thrill of the impending battle took over him. He rushed down the ladder, and back to his barracks. He burst into it, startling Cicero, who was enjoying his day off.

"Grab your gear, we're under attack." Shadow said, grabbing his sword. Cicero jumped out of bed, and began dressing as quickly as he could. He tried to run out of the room, but Shadow managed to catch him, correcting the connection of his shoulder armor. Together, they ran outside of the barracks.

The camp was in chaos, green clad men ran back and forth, now and then Shadow spotted a flash of red or blue. They encountered Sierra near the Infirmary. She was busy barking orders to a group of Trainees, who looked terrified. She turned when she saw them coming up.

"Cicero, you stay here with me, Shadow, go find Weiss, you're to join his squad for the duration of the attack." Shadow nodded, and ran off back into the fray. After ten minutes of searching, he found his friend.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Shadow lead the trainees to the front lines. Weiss had been a fool to trust him while he and Nero went to find Hewley. Shadow knew there was no other choice than the battle, even if Angeal ordered evacuation, it was too late. He had lead the protesting group to the gate of the camp.

"Open the gate!" Shadow ordered the SOLDIER that worked it. The man gave him a despising look, being ordered around by someone from the same class. Still, he opened it, and Shadow lead the trainees, many whom hadn't been there more than a few weeks, into the open field. The make shift force had gotten even closer. When the gate crashed closed behind them.

"Men, any who flee will die at my hands!" Shadow ordered. "We will charge the enemy."

"Sir" One of the trainees protested. "We're 20 men, they have hundreds. It'd be suicide."

Shadow smacked the coward with the back of his hand. The man fell to the ground, holding his face.

"We will be heroes if we manage this." Shadow said, addressing the others. "We're here, I'd rather die fighting than couped up inside the walls of a camp in fear. Now Char..."

His order was cut off by an angry voice from up on the wall.

"Shadow, what the hell are you doing?" Weiss and Nero had returned. With them was Angeal Hewley, Officer in charge of the camp. "I demand you bring the squad back inside the walls."

"Weiss, you trained these men to be SOLDIER. No one can match the power of SOLDIER."

"Shadow, you're a fool. Not everyone is as strong as you are. You'll be over powered."

"Trainees, charge the enemy now before I kill you myself." Shadow ordered, ignoring his friend.

The men, confused on what to do, hesitated. Shadow was over come with the familiar rage. He drew his sword, and impaled the trainee closest to him. "I said charge now!" The men panicked and began to rush to their own deaths, charging the huge numbers of the Wutai rebels.

"He's lost his mind!" Nero yelled on top of the wall.

"Get the gates open, send men after them!" Angeal ordered.

Shadow turned, rushed after the men charging the enemy. His sword clutched in his hand. No one would stop him from becoming a hero. No one. Aerith's face flashed into his mind. If he became a hero, he'd be able to lead a revolt against Shinra. He'd be able to gather a following. He had to do this. His men were massacred as they collided with the on coming rebels. Shadow and 10 others were all that survived. He crashed into the group, hacking and slicing with his sword. They all fell before him, but many more replaced them all. His group was basically wiped out by the time anyone else arrived. Practically every man in the camp had moved on the enemy. Angeal leading the charge. Shadow was lost, his mind was dead as he battled, his animal instinct taking over. He hacked and slashed any who stood in his way. Blood dripped from his sword and uniform. What was his body count now? He didn't even know. Finally, and hand grabbed him from behind.

"Shadow, you've lost your mind." A voice said. Shadow turned to find it was Cicero who had reached him. "I have to take you back to the camp."

Shadow pulled away from his friend, and ran him through with his sword. Cicero's eyes widened as he felt the metal exit his back. He stared at his friend in disbelief as he fell to the ground. Shadow turned back to the enemy just as one shot their rifle, the bullet catching him just below his left eye. Shadow fell to the ground, his vision fading in and out, as was the sound. He saw people killed, including his friends Nero and Weiss. All four of the friends had fallen in this battle. He watched as Angeal fought valiantly, killing many. He watched as Sierra was shot at close range. Finally his vision faded to black. He called out weakly, but no one heard him over the sounds of battle. "Aerith..."

==##==

"This one still alive as well sir."

"Hmm, I believe this is the one they said lead them to this."

"Should be leave him?"

"And waste such a fearless warrior? No, put him in the Tsviet program."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Deep under the ground of Shinra headquarters, Shadow lay unconscious on the hard, crude slab of concrete. The scientists were working on him, trying to keep him alive. He took many wounds during the battle against the rebels, but they wanted him alive. Next to him, his two friends lay on similar slabs, each with there own team of scientists and doctors. Rufus stood out side of the glass wall looking into the room. His attention was so drawn to Shadow, that Heidegger's words went unnoticed. Something was special about the rebellious. The reports from the survivors of the battle claimed that he had fought like a first class SOLDIER. That is the reason he had chosen him to be in the project.

"...as your father wishes." Heidegger finished.

"What was that?" Rufus asked, not taking his eyes off Shadow as the Doctors worked.

"I said I think it's best that you go to Healin Lodge as your father wishes."

"Why does that old fool wish to dispose of me? He fears the truth, that I am a greater mind that he is."

"Yes he does, Rufus, you know that. But if you do go, you'll be able to... good god!"

Rufus turned in the direction of Heidegger's look, he stared as Shadow broke his bonds, knocking the scientists away. He easily snapped the bonds, and got to his feet. The scientists ran for the exit, as the Shinra guards approached him, planning to attempt to subdue him. Shadow grabbed the stone slab, and lifted it, breaking it free from the floor. He threw it at the exit, blocking the scientists escape.

"Good god!" Heidegger said in amazement. "That slab must way near seven hundred pounds."

"It seems the experiments were successful." Rufus said

The force of Shadow's back hand against the head of one of the guards cause him to fly across the room, smashing into a wall of computers and other equipment. The other guard fumbled, the tranquilizer in one hand, his gun in his other. He finally dropped both, and backed away as shadow approached him. The guard tripped over some debris, and started to crawl back until he was up against the glass wall. Shadow stopped, bending over and retrieving the tranquilizer from the ground.

"No, please!" The guard begged as Shadow lifted the syringe over his head. He brought it down, impaling the man in the head, breaking through his helmet. The man struggled a moment, and then just stopped. Shadow looked up, staring at Heidegger and Rufus.

"Sir, may I suggest we flee?" Heidegger said, as Shadow drew back his hand.

"No need, this glass is unbreakable."

"Oh, that's true. Gya haa haa haa!"

Shadow slammed his fist into the glass, causing small crack to form. Rufus and Heidegger stared at it as Shadow drew his arm back again. They both ran for the stairs at the same time as Shadow's fist crashed into it again, making the crack spread. Shadow stopped, and walked back to the slab he had thrown. The scientists were huddle up near it, all quivering in fear. Shadow walked past them, to their relief, and grabbed the slab. He hurled it with all his strength at the window, and it went right through. As he went to leave, one of the scientists stood up.

"Sit down you fool!" Cried one scientist

"You're going to get us all killed." Another one whined.

The standing one ignored them, and took a step toward Shadow, his hand out.

"Sir, don't leave."

Shadow turned towards the scientist, curious.

"Look at what you've done, don't you see. I gave you that power. I made you that strong. Imagine what I could accomplish if you gave me more time."

The fist sent him flying across the room and crashing into the wall. Shadow turned angrily and stormed away, turning into a full blown run as he escaped from the secret facility beneath Midgar.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Shadow ran through the dark streets of Midgar. The night sky was full of stars, and thankfully, it was so late that no one seemed to be out. His entire body seemed overcome with pain. Feeling another burst of the searing pain that seemed to pulse inside of him, he quickly ducked behind a large dumpster. He screamed as the pain seared through him, bring tears to his eyes. He ripped open the sleeve of the coat he had stolen from a locker on his way out of the facility. He stared at his arm in horror. His veins were visible beneath his skin, glowing with a orange hue. He screamed again as the pain intensified inside him, paralyzing him. He finally collapsed, twitching on the ground, his face contorted in pain, his mouth hanging open in a silent scream. He managed to barely over come the pain long enough to become aware of the two figures approaching him.

"Looks like the escapee to me partner." A cocky voice said. There was no response. The two figures drew closer and the voice spoke again in surprise. "Wait, isn't that... I mean it's been 3 years but I swear that's the kid from the slums."

The other responded in a deep grunt.

"You know, I never was a fan of rules and orders Rude. I don't think we're going to bring him back. I actually have a better idea."

Shadow's vision began to blur at that moment, the pain increasing greatly. He watched as the two shadowy figures approached him, blacking out just before they reached him. He faded in and out as the men carried him away, he saw glimpses of a train, people looking at him and the two men.

"Too much to drink." The cocky one told them.

Being carried into the slums. The small decaying church, and then, blackness.

==##==

By the time Shadow regained consciousness, it was light out. He sat up from the bench he was laid upon. The two men were gone, he was alone. "Where am I?" Shadow asked himself, and then all of it came rushing back to him, the pain, the men, the church. He looked around quickly. Yes, there was no mistaking it. He was in the Sector 8 slums church. He suddenly he was overcome with memories of Aerith and Elmyra. Of his home. He was so close, how long had it been since he had seen them? Almost a year? No, more time had passed than he was aware. He stared down at his body, he had grown since he remembered. What was he now? He must be near seventeen. What had happened after the Rebels attacked the camp. He looked down at his bare chest, he could clearly see the glow inside him. Almost like MAKO but not the right color. He stood up, readjusting the under size coat. He started towards the exit when the door started creaking open. He quickly hid behind a pillar, watching as the large door creaked open. His eyes flew open when Aerith walked in, creaking the door shut behind her. She had grown since he had last seen her. She must be a foot taller than she was when he had left. Her hair grown out extremely long. He felt a pain of a different sort as she walked past the pillar he was behind. She reached the flower garden at the center of the church, and knelt down next to it. She began fiddling with the flowers.

"Oh, how wonderful it looks." She said out loud to herself. "He's going to be happy when he comes home."

Shadow continued to watch her in silence.

Her voice cracked as she spoke the next words. "Brother always told me to take care of flowers, if it wasn't for him, neither of the gardens would exist."

"I should expose myself." Shadow said to himself. "let her know I'm hear."

"Oh Shadow, I miss you ever so much." Aerith continued to talk to herself.

"No, I can't do that. Not after what I've become. I'm just a monster now, I'm not the person she cared for."

Aerith continued to arrange the flowers for awhile, and then she stood up and started looking around. Something must of caught her attention, because to Shadow's horror, she began to walk towards him. Quickly, but silently, he scaled the pillar, amazed at his own agility. He watched from the rafters as she approached the bench he had woken up on. She bent over and picked up something.

"A Shinra key card?" she said sighing. "Tseng must have been here looking for me again."

Shadow watched as she pocketed the key card and started towards the exit. Shadow watched her until she disappeared from sight. When she was gone, he put his back against the Pillar and sat down against it.

"Aerith." He said softly. "I'm sorry."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It was an hour later when Shadow finally exited the church. He looked around, amazed at how much had changed in three years. He began walking toward the main part of the slums, amazed at how much it had developed since he had left. The group of ramshackle houses he had left had been replaced with something could actually pass for a makeshift town. Sneaking through the alleys in the slum, he found what he needed. He sneaked into the small house, emerging in considerably less suspicious clothing. His large brown overcoat went over top the red shirt and black jeans. The full leather gloves were tight but the largest he had found in the house. And necessary. The black sunglasses covered his glowing orange eyes, compliments of Shinra. He had topped it off with the black work boots and the brow Dalton hat. The hat was more or less for disguise of his identity than for the hiding of his disfigurement. Now that he was properly clothed, he walked down the main street of the slum, amazed at all the different stores that had been built. He even passed some market carts. He knew where he was heading, but he didn't know why. He arrived at the cozy house that lay slightly away from the main town. He gasped when he saw the beautiful garden that had been planted near it.

"So that's what she meant." He said, approaching the house. He walked into the garden, looking around at the different flowers that had grown.

"Can I help you?" A voice came from behind him. Startled, he turned around quickly. "You must be lost if you're all the way out here."

Shadow stared, surprised at how much older the woman that had taken him in looked. He actually felt tears well up in his eyes.

"Is Aerith here?" He asked.

Elmyra rolled her eyes. "Not one of you again. I'm tired of the Turks always coming around, asking about her. No, she's not hear, just leave."

Shadow removed the hat and glasses. Elmyra stared at him plainly for a moment, and then shock quickly over came her face.

"Oh my god, Shadow" she cried, flinging herself against him, embracing him as a mother would her child. "They told us you were dead. How are you...."

"I'm not staying long, I have to flee the city." He explained to her. He told her about after he joined SOLDIER. About the Rebels and the battle, leaving out his insanity as he charged into battle. He explained the little he remembered from his escape. The whole time she stood there silently, horrified at some of it, angry at other parts, but saddened m the most of it.

"That's why I can't see Aerith. I didn't want to see you either, but I just wanted someone to know that I'm alive."

Elmyra was silent for awhile. Finally she said "I understand, though it saddens me to see you go."

"Just take care of Aerith. I'll be back... someday." He replaced his glasses and hat. As he went to walk away, Elmyra spoke.

"I feel awful Shadow, you were like a son to me, but if it wasn't for me, you'd still be..." She paused, uncertain at what to say.

"Normal." Shadow finished her sentence for her. She nodded. "Yeah, if dead was normal. You save my life Elmyra." He turned towards her, he could see the tears in her eyes. If it wasn't for the glasses, she'd see his too. He smiled, trying to encourage her to be strong.

"Hey mom!" Called a voice from the other side of the house. Aerith had returned. Shadow quickly sped away, leaving Elmyra standing there, the tears running down her face freely.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The rain poured down upon the mountain in the Nibelheim area, the darkness of the pitch black night illuminated only by the sporadic flashes of lightning. The mountains would appear fierce to anyone in the town below, if only they knew the half of it. The young man ran blindly, the path he was following only being a foot wide, the drop on the right side of it was steep and far. One misstep and his body would never be found. Unfortunately, his pursuer was much more accustomed to the mountainous region. He felt himself be lifted off the ground, and slammed against the mountain side next to him. What was Shinra thinking, sending the small attachment out here after him. The man was a a monster, he had set traps and ambushed them, killing all twenty of them single handedly. The young man struggle to breath, his face illuminated by the orange glow emitting from the beast like man, barely human any longer.

"For three years, I've run from Shinra. Now they send their little peons after me. Not even Soldiers, just guards." Shadow said, slowly squeezing the man's throat. The Shinra guards eyes began to bulge, his legs kicking out. "Why?"

"Not... Shinra." The man gasped out. His hands were attempting to pry Shadow's hand away. Shadow clenched tighter, actually lifting the man off the ground.

"Bullshit! Why did they send you."

"An... Angeal..." The man squeaked, his consciousness fading. Shadow released him, letting him crash to the ground. "Angeal Hewley. He sent us."

"What would a first class SOLDIER want with me?"

"Genesis Rhapsodos. He's gone missing and Shinra believes that he's betrayed them, deserted ya know. But Angeal thinks other wise, but he can't get away to search. He wants you to go after him."

Shadow stared at the cowering man, no just a boy. For some reason, he believed him. The story was to elaborate to have been a lie. Very well, he'd find this Rhapsodos. He grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him to his feet.

"Why the hell did Angeal want me, I barely know him."

"I don't know, he didn't tell me." the man said.

"I'll have to ask him when I see him." Shadow said, though not really to anyone in particular.

"Am... Am I going to die?" The man said.

Shadow looked him straight in the eye. "Yes." Shadow threw him against the wall, and drew his sword. "Just not today." And with that, Shadow stepped from the narrow path, falling down the steep cliff. After a few seconds, he stabbed his sword into the hard rock, effectively slowing his decent. He landed perfectly on the ground, and began walking. He stopped in the small area where the bodies lay, he saw that one of the bodies had a golden sword, encrested with diamonds. He easily cut the belt, pulling the sheath and sword away from the corpse. "I know this isn't standard issue." He said, mocking the lifeless corpse. "You don't mind if I take this do you?" He waited for an answer. "Didn't think so." He threw his sword away into the darkness and fitted the new one to his belt. He entered the small cave just past the clearing, entering the light of the MAKO fountain inside. He quickly gathered some things from the camp he had erected there, and then he was on his way.

==##==

By the time Shadow emerged from the mountain path, the sun was already beginning to rise. He walked along the plains, only having to stop to take care of an animal once or twice. The sword truly was a fine piece of work, razor sharp yet durable. The last animal to attack, he had managed to slice the head clean off. Around noon, he came across a small town.

"What the hell is that?" he asked himself out loud, staring at the large structure near the town. He quickly threw on his cloves, and began walking towards the town.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Rocket Town." Shadow read silently as he passed the sign. He stopped as he reached the small town square. "For such a small town, it sure is lively." He said, quietly looking around at all the people running back and forth. A small child ran up to him.

"Hey mister, did you come to see the rocket launch?"

Shadow looked down at the child, a puzzled expression on his face. "What's a rocket?"

"Ooh, you don't know about the rocket. It's a really powerful plane thingy, it can reach the stars."

Shadow chuckled, the kid certainly had a vivid imagination. To think that the poor boy actually thought that something could actually fly with the stars. He looked up at the massive structure of metal, that must be the rocket thing. He knew he should be going somewhere he could find information about Genesis, but something drew him closer to the rocket. He followed a group of people to a nearby field, there must be hundreds of people there. He noticed a few suits, along with some Shinra Guards.

"Only Shinra would be fool enough to think they could fly amongst the stars." Shadow said quietly, annoyance in his voice. He had discovered over time how much he hated the power company's arrogance. There was a large clock about a hundred yards away from the crowd, it was counting down from ten minutes. The chattering of the crowd was deafening. Did these fools really believe in Shinra? If they did, they were just setting them up for disappointment. How could that thing fly? It didn't even have wings. He stood there, blending in with the crowd, and watching the clock tick down. Then it happened. The rocket roared, the sound drowning out that of the crowd. Shadow stared in disbelief, the flames shooting out of it seemed to be propelling it upward. Suddenly he was standing inside the metallic colossus as it lifted into the sky. The man sitting in the chair, his hands on what Shadow assumed was the controls. He turned around, finding himself in another room. Still inside the rocket, he saw a woman who was frantically working on some sort of machine. A voice came over a speaker.

"Shera, what the hell are you doing back there still?" it demanded.

The woman continued to work, but answered him. "The pretests showed some potential problems with tank four."

"Damn it woman, if you don't get the fuck out of there right now, you'll be burned to a crisp."

"It's worth it, to see your dream come true and the mission a success."

Shadow turned back toward the pilot, finding himself again in the cockpit. The man looked to be in a strong emotional pain. Finally, he pulled a lever. The shaking stopped, and followed by a huge crash. Shadow collapsed, landing roughly on the floor. He felt the rocket start to tip. He watched in horror from the fields as the rocket fell onto the town and the crowd. Hundreds were killed, and the town was completely demolished. Finally, the rocket exploded, sending a huge fireball directly at Shadow. Shadow shielded himself just as the fire reached him, Shadow could feel the fire eat away at his skin.

==##==

Shadow's eyes flew open in horror. He was still in the crowd, but what about... they were always so real. He saw the clock just as it clicked to zero. "Don't launch!" He cried out desperately as the engines roared to life. He watched in horror as the rocket slowly lifted into the air. Sure enough, the engines soon cut out, and the rocket came crashing back to the ground.

"Everybody run." Someone called out as the rocket began to tip. Shadow started trying to get to it, thinking of a way to stop it. He ran past people, speeding at speeds impossible for a normal human. He slammed into the bottom of the rocket, gripping it, trying to keep it from falling over. He grimaced as he realized he wasn't strong enough for that. Suddenly, he was illuminated. The rocket stopped. He turned around, about fifty feet from him, he saw a woman, dressed in black robes. She had her hand pointed at the rocket. "A stop spell?" Shadow said to himself. "Genius."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"It's the thief!" A Shinra guard said, pointing at the woman. "Capture her now." A group of guards converged on her, surrounding her. They all charged at once, she fought back, lashing out at her attackers. After dispatching two of them with her hands, she reached beneath her robes and pulled out a baton. She slammed it against the head of another guard, but there were two many of them. They managed to over power her, forcing her to her knees. A man dressed in a suit walked up to them, stand in front of the girl.

"You're wanted dead or alive, thief." He said, grinning. He reached out his hand, brushing her long dark hair out of her face. "it's a shame, such beauty wasted." He drew a pistol from inside his coat, aiming it at the woman.

"Boss, look out!" one of the guards cried. The suited man turned just as the flying sword flew past where his head had been moments earlier. He stared at the charging man, horrified. Shadow lept at them, flying the remaining twenty feet at them. The huge crowd were still scattering near them, the scene went unnoticed. The guards let the woman go and began to run, as the suited man lifted his pistol to shoot Shadow. Shadow grabbed the barrel as the gun went off. The bullet hit him just above the left eye, bouncing off, leaving Shadow unharmed. Shadow glared at the suited man, who look terrified. Shadow tore the gun out of the man's hand, and threw it to the side. He grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him into the air, strangling him. Shadow began slowly squeezing the life out of him, when the guards returned, this time with back up. The machine guns opened fire, causing Shadow to drop the man. He shied away from the bullets, each one stinging, but not actually doing any damage. Shadow rushed the troop of guards. They turned to run, but Shadow tackled one to the ground. Flipping him over onto his back, Shadow lifted his arms above his head, and hammer them down on the guards chest. He savagely beat the guards chest in, causing him to spit up blood, before finally ceasing to move. He stood up, turning back around. He saw the suited man, he was holding the woman as a shield. Shadow stared at the man, locking eyes with him.

"What are you going to do now?" the man asked him.

The woman kicked back, landing a kick in between the man's legs. The man let go, letting the woman fall to the side. Before the man could recover, Shadow was in front of him, he landed a back hand across the man's face, causing him to fly several feet back. Shadow walked over to his sword, pulling it from where it had impaled into the ground. He walked over to the man, as he was climbing to his feet slowly. Shadow place a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back to the ground. He placed the tip of his sword at the man's throat.

"Wait a minute." The man said groggily. "You're that Tsviet."

Shadow sank the blade into the man's throat, causing blood to spray from the wound, squeezing past the blade. He withdrew the sword, wiping it on his coat and sheathed it. The woman was standing next to him. He could tell that she was obviously younger than he was. Probably about Aerith's age.

"Thanks for the help." she said. Shadow ignored her, walking away. She followed him. "My name is Tashia." She continued, acting as if she hadn't noticed him ignore her. Shadow stopped, and turned towards her.

"Listen Tashia, I really don't need someone following me."

"Really, good, cause I was actually going to ask you to come with me. Me and my partner are camped out a few miles away, you look like you could use some company."

Shadow stared at her for a moment. He didn't know why, but he decided to go with her.

"Fine."

"So, what's your name?" She asked.

"..."

"Not much of a talker are you?" she said as they started walking.

"It's Shadow, my name is Shadow."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Shadow followed Tashia back to her camp outside of town. The sun was setting by the time they reached it. A large man that sat by the fire stood up, grabbing the weapon Shadow could only consider a lance that was stabbed into the ground next to him. The black steel pole attached to a flat tip, the blade had two tips, both curved into a fluid crimson tip. The man himself must have been seven foot tall. He had a large build, his stomach seemed a little pudgy, but his arms were solid. His face had a rough look about it, covered in scars, his gray eyes were cast in shadow. He lowered the tip of his lance in the direction of the two new arrivals.

"It's OK Hal. It's just me and our new friend." Tashia said. The large man eyed them a moment, and then stabbed his weapon back into place. He spoke with a heavy accent.

"I didn't know you vould be bringing home strayz" He said. Shadow had to wonder if his tone was always so severe or if it was his presence.

"Well, if it wasn't for this "stray" I wouldn't be coming home." Tashia explained. "The launch failed, and they tried to get me again."

"That tiz vhy I suggested that I come vith you Tashia." He said. " I swore to your vather that I would protect you."

"I'm quite capable of taking care of myself." She said. "I'm going to bed, help our guest settle in." With that, Tashia walked over to one of the tents erected around the fire. Hal turned his attention to Shadow.

"You have no complaints about sleeping outside vith me." He said.

Shadow didn't know whether it was a question or not. "No."

"Good. Then ve von't have any problems."

Hal turned his back to Shadow and walked back over to the spot he was in when they had arrived.

"Don't try anything in the night, or I'll kill you." He said as he sat down next to his lance.

Shadow smirked, he was amazed at the contrast between the two travelers. Shadow found a spot not too far from the camp, but distant enough to ensure privacy. He removed his glasses. His enhance vision had ensure that he could see in the dark, even with the dark glasses on. Now, the setting sun seemed like the noon sun as he looked around the area. He counted 3 tents in the camp, there was probably another traveler, possibly two. He gathered some nearby leaves, and made him a small nest like bed for the night. He lay silently in the night, thinking about Genesis. The whole situation made no sense, why did Angeal seek him out. He'd have to ask him personally after he brought Genesis back. He lay his head down on the hard ground and closed his eyes. He could feel his energy returning as he light sleep began. It was roughly seven hours later when he heard the foot steps, soft on the grass approaching him. He quickly put his glasses on his face, and opened his eyes slightly. He watched amused as the young child, only around eleven near him cautiously. He didn't move as the young girl reached towards him slowly, her hand wrapping around the jewel encrested sheath of his sword. Shadow's hand moved at lightning fast speed, grasping the child's wrist. Her eyes flew open and she yelped in pain and fright.

"Normally I'd break it." He said, watching her eyes fill with tears. "But I'm assuming that you're with the rest of the camp, and there for, we're going to walk back to it together."

She responded by looking at him, still appearing nervous.

"And you'll never touch my sword again, and in exchange, this didn't happen. Got that?"

Finally, she looked relieved. She nodded in agreement. Shadow sat up, and let the girl go. Almost immediately, the girl grabbed his sword, and took off running. Shadow jumped to his feet, and in two strides, grabbed her.

"Let her go!" A voice commanded.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"You unhand her right now!" The chubby women demanded. For some reason, she reminded him of Elmyra. "Let go of my daughter, or else I will call my husband to deal with you, scum!"

Shadow wrenched the sword from the girls fingers, and kicked her away softly. The girl stumbled forward, falling to the ground.

"Teach that little bitch respect for personal property." Shadow said, attaching the sheath back to his belt.

The womans face turned beat red, her eyes bulging. "How dare a low life like you address us like that, upper class people treated like low scum. Vergil!"

Shadow heard footsteps approaching, they sounded rushed. Soon a man came running into view. He stood tall, near six foot 7 inches Shadow guessed. That was where his size ended. He looked underweight. He was dressed in silk, light blue pants with a purple shirt. Strapped to his white belt, was a thin sword.

"Who are you!" He demanded. He drew his sword.

Shadow couldn't help laughing. He stared at the blade, which couldn't of been a quarter inch wide.

"He struck Ariel." The woman said. The man's eyes turned paper thin, he glared at Shadow. Without another word, he charged Shadow. His blade thrust out in front of him, Shadow easily stepped to the side. Shadow didn't bother drawing his sword, as the man pivoted, slashing at him with the minuscule sword. The man laughed triumphantly, thinking that he had struck Shadow's hand.

"That should teach you." He said, a cocky look on his face. He attempted to pull the sword back from Shadow's closed fist. Shadow smiled. He tugged the blade, causing the man to stumble forward. Shadow smiled, his face inches from the other mans. Shadow twisted his hand, causing the blade to snap in half. He threw the blade to the side, and shoved the man away, causing him to trip and fall.

"Vhat iz going on here?" A familiar voice demanded. Shadow turned to find Hal approaching.

"Halberd, this scum attacked our daughter, than he assaulted Vergil." The woman cried.

"Thiz scum, az you call him, is the guest of her highness. Besidez, chancez are that Ariel stole something from him." He retorted, then adding. "Need I remind you of my flask, or your very own dress, Victoria"

"He still assaulted Vergil!" the woman said, her face once again red. "I demand you end this sods life. It's your duty."

"My duty iz to her highness, and az fate would have it, she wishes to speak to him." Hal said, and then turned to Shadow." Follow me.

Shadow followed Hal, walking past Victoria, who was stunned. Vergil was still struggling in the bushes he had fallen into. Hal led him through the camp, stopping outside the tent.

"Listen boy." He said. Shadow had to restrain himself to keep from lashing out. "The lady has taken a liking to you. I suggest you say yes to whatever it is she asks you."

Shadow shrugged, barely hearing what the older warrior had said. The warrior pushed him inside the ten. Shadow found himself face to face with Tashia, she had replaced her black robes with purple and white ones. Her hair was pulled back into a tail. She smiled as he walked in.

"OK Shadow, I've got something to ask you." She said.

==##==

A/N Sorry, it's short again. I'll make up for it next chapter. Thanks for reading it so far, this is where the prologue ends, and the story begins.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Shadow sighed as he climbed up the mountain, the group of people some twenty feet below him were the only reason they would have to stop for the night.

"How did I let myself get talked into this?" He asked himself. He should of figured that there was something behind her asking him back to the camp.

==##==

"I want you to help us." She had said, her eyes locking onto his.

"I don't do charity." Shadow had replied, turning to exit the tent.

"I saw you last night!" She said. This stopped Shadow about a foot from the tent flap, but didn't say anything. She continued. "It was Shinra wasn't it? They were the ones that gave you those eyes."

With shocking speed, Shadow spun on his heel and clasped his hand around her thin neck. Her eyes bulged.

"You know nothing." Shadow whispered fiercely. Pushing her away lightly. He turned to leave again.

"Then tell me." She pleaded

"Tell you?" Shadow asked, turning back towards her. "I don't even know you, nor you me. Why should I tell you anything."

"I know what it's like to have Shinra wrong you. I am the princess of Rumanheim. When my parents refused to bow under Shinra's control, they wiped the city from existance. This camp is all that's left."

Shadow remained silent.

"They took away everything." She said. "They had no right, but they did it anyway."

"No..." Shadow finally said. His voice was barely audible. He stepped toward Tashia, who stepped back. "Not everything." He slowly removed his glasses, staring deep in her eyes. He could sense that she was intimidated. "You want to see what they've done to me?" He asked. She nodded, unable to speak. Shadow smirked. "No you don't."

"We need a guide."

"I already have a mission."

"Well, cancel it."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's a way for me to get back at Shinra!"

The stood there in silence, both avoiding each other's stairs. Shadow was embarrassed by his outburst. Tashia was frightened, but intrigued. She didn't understand how she could be feeling this way after only one day, it made no sense.

"That's what we're trying to do. We can't do it on our own."

"Not my problem."

"We'll pay you."

"You think I'm just some mindless drone to be bought and sold like trade?"

"I don't know what you are, that's why I wanted to talk to you."

"Fine, I'll take you to Midgar, there you can find plenty of anti-Shinra organizations. After that you're on your own."

"Thank you for helping us." Tashia said quietly."

Shadow turned and walked towards the exit. "How could I not, you're but a child."

Tashia waited for him to leave, and then spoke silently to herself. "but so are you."

==##==

Shadow still didn't know why he had decided to help them, even as a clung to the side of the mountain that they were trying to climb. As he had figured from the beginning, the family did nothing but complained as they traveled. The pace at which the camp moved was painfully slow for Shadow. While Hal and Tashia moved at a considerable pace, they were force to slow down for the family, whom insisted that they shouldn't rush Ariel. Shadow could tell that they thought it an outrage that Tashia had asked for his aid. He continued to climb until he came across a small cave on the side of the mountain. That would have to do for camp tonight.

"Come on" He called down to the others. He slipped inside the cave, investigating the darkness. He didn't even see it coming up to him from behind.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Shadow managed to turn just as the beast lept at him. It smashed into him, causing him to crash to the ground. He grabbed the large beasts horns as it lunged it's head down at him, holding it back. He struggled to keep the huge Behemoth away. It's jaws kept snapping at his face, getting a little closer on each attempt.

"Shadow?" Came Tashia's concerned voice from the entrance of the cave.

"Stay back!" Shadow managed to get out, as he twisted his head away from the fangs of the beast.

"Hal, get up here!" He heard Tashia yell.

The beast drew away, dragging it's horns out of Shadows grip. Shadow twisted away as the beast lunged down again. It's horn caught the arm of his jacket, tearing the sleeve all the way up to the shoulder. Shadow quickly pulls his arm away. He slipped the jacket off and drew his sword as the beast got back to it's feet. It charged at Shadow, but this time he was ready for it. He lept into the air as the Behemoth reached him. It tried to stop, but slid across the floor as Shadow landed on it's back. It snapped at him, but was unable to get to him. Then it noticed Tashia, who was standing by the cave entrance, it charged at her, fangs bared. Shadow lifted his sword above his head and stabbed it down into the beast's neck. The giant beast collapsed to the ground, sliding along the floor.

"Oh shit!" Shadow cried out as the beast slid out of cave and began to fall down the side of the mountain. He didn't even feel the hand grasp his arm. The beast feel from beneath him, but he fell against the face of the mountain. Tashia, who had grabbed him, was torn from her spot by his sudden weight, and fell. Shadow quickly reversed the roles, grabbing her hand. He easily swung her back up onto the ledge. He climbed back up onto the ledge, standing next to her.

==##==

Vergil stood on the small flat area of the mountain. He could hear yelling from above him, but didn't care.

"Can you believe that low life is making us walk this long?" He asked his wife, whom was sitting in a chair next to them.

"I can't even believe Lady Tashia chose him to help us." Victoria Retorted.

"Daddy! Look out!" Ariel yelled from about ten yards away. Vergil looked up just in time to see the creature land on him.

==##==

Tashia stared at Shadow's exposed arms in silence. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open slightly. Her eyes traced the veins, which were illuminated by the MAKO. She reached out to touch him, but Shadow drew away. He started back into the cave.

"You wanted to know, now you do." He said. The tone of his voice was odd, she hadn't yet heard the tone that he had used. It didn't sound angry, nor did it sound cruel. It was sorrowful, perhaps even regretful. She felt a pang of regret fill her stomach, there was no denying her feelings now. She followed him into the cave silently.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

They had set up camp near the opening of the cave, the fire illuminated the cave for a few feet. It had take Hal only a few moments to get the Behemoth off of Vergil, who had swore that it was attacking him in between sobs of fear. All was normal in the camp, the family were inside there tent, and Hal sat near the fire, his spear laying next to him. Near the back of the cave, next to a small puddle that accumulated there, Shadow sat in the darkness. His coat lay across his shoulders, but was not actually on him. He was so distracted by his thoughts, he didn't hear the foot steps approaching him. He didn't react when her arms wrapped around him from behind, embracing him. He felt her press the side of her face against his back.

"You still have a heart beat, that makes you human." Tashia said. Shadow continued to stare into the darkness, but she knew that he had heard her. She squeezed him tighter. "I have a confession to make. I think that I'm in love with you." Still, Shadow said nothing. She slipped the coat from his shoulders. He felt her move a little, and then the press of her lips against his neck. He drew himself away, standing up. She stood up as well, reaching out to his arm. He pulled away.

"You don't love me." He said. She could tell that he didn't believe his words, he only said them out of fear.

She took a step towards him, causing him to take a step back. Another step towards him, another step away from her. Finally, he ran out of room to back up. She took his hand as she drew closer to him. They were inches apart, she was looking up at his face. The darkness was slightly illuminated by his low glow. Slowly, she slid her hand up his arm, past his shoulder. She let it lie against his face for a moment. Shadow's mind was racing, he didn't know what to say or do. He wasn't sure why he didn't stop her. Did he love her as well? He wasn't sure. He knew that it had to be something about her. She gently removed his glasses, revealing his glowing orange eyes. She looked deep into his eyes.

"They say the eyes are the window to the soul." She said. Shadow, although trying, couldn't bring himself to look away. She pressed herself against him, laying her head on his chest. "I don't know if you love me, but please stay with us." She said, he could tell there were tears in her eyes. Gently, he turned her head to face him. He bent his head down, and pressed his lips against her. Tashia's eyes narrowed, barely able to keep them open. Shadow wrapped his arms around her, embracing her. He felt her whimper into his mouth. Their tongues met, pressing against each other, wrapping around each other. Shadow closed his eyes, letting himself be enveloped by the passion of the kiss. Her hands tangled into his hair as he pulled her tighter against him. Finally, they broke apart, both were breathing heavily, trying to catch their breath.

"I love you." She said again, she once again hugged him. "I never want to let you go."

Shadow remained silent for a moment before responding. "You won't have to." He finally said.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Shadow awoke the next day, Tashia was still asleep in his arms where she had fallen asleep. He smiled, he had gotten the first deep sleep in a long time that night. He almost thought what had happened last night to be a dream, but her being there said otherwise. He gently pulled away from her, causing her to stir but not awaken. He sat next to the pond, placing his glasses back over his eyes. Did he really love her? He wasn't sure. He felt something for her, but he had been alone for so long, hiding from civilization in the mountains for those three years affected him, he couldn't deny that. Perhaps he was just reaching out for some sort of human contact. "I'll just have to wait and see what happens." he told himself, as he climbed to his feet. He walked back over to Tashia and kneeled next to her. He gently shook her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes, smiling when she saw his face.

"You should probably get back to your tent." Shadow said softly, kissing her on the cheek. "We're going to leave in about an hour."

She nodded, and climbed to her feet. He watched her as she walked back towards the camp. After she left, he picked back up his jacket, sighing when he remembered the tear that was still in it from the fight yesterday. He started rigging it closed.

==##==

They decided to just circle the rest of the way around the mountain, as they were near the summit, it wasn't that far around. Shadow was starting to go insane, listening to the family's whining about them going to fast. Finally he turned around spun around.

"Shut up before a throw you off this fucking mountain!" Shadow yelled. The family shut right up, and they continued to walk in silence. Finally, they started down the path leading to the town of Nibelheim. Upon entering the town, they decided to stop in the inn. Hal, Vergil and Victoria decided to stay in the Inn, Ariel went exploring, "probably going to steal something" Shadow thought, and Tashia went to the store to get some supplies. Shadow decided to look around the town. He investigated the streets, walking around. He looked at some of the shops, unique buildings. He came across the huge mansion just off the path to the mountains. He looked up at it's dark windows.

"That's the Shinra mansion." A voice came from behind him. He turned, finding a young girl, around 13 standing there. She was clad in Cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. She had on a short skirt and a white shirt, a vest over top of it. She had black hair down to her lower back. "They used to hold secret experiments in there, no one knows what it was though." She continued as she walked towards him, stopping beside him.

"You always talk to strangers?" He asked, returning his gaze to the mansion.  
"Yeah, I'm the guide for the town." She explained. "My name is Tifa Lockhart."

"Lockhart? I've heard that name somewhere before." Shadow said, trying to think back.

"I wouldn't know from where, we're not famous."

He tried to remember, and then it came to him. "Strife."

Tifa's eyes opened wide. "You know Cloud?"

"Yes, I met him at the SOLDIER Academy."

"So he made it after all." She said to herself.

Shadow considered telling her about him flunking out, but decided against it. He walked away, leaving Tifa thinking to herself. The next day, the group traveled to Costa Del Sol, and caught a boat to Junon. They had no idea what they would run into when they arrived there.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

When Shadow and the others arrived in Junon, they found the city in chaos. Citizens were running back and forth, and the Shinra Guards were everywhere. Shadow even saw some SOLDIERS.

"Stay here." Shadow told the group, and walked over to one of the citizens.

"What's going on?" He asked the man, who was in in late forties from the look of him.

"It's the renegade SOLDIER, Genesis Rhapsodos. He's been spotted in the city. I suggest you guys get in doors, he's released all kinds of monsters in the city." The man responded before running away. Hearing this flipped a switch in Shadow, he hadn't thought about Genesis and Angeal since the night he spent with Tashia, which had happened about a week ago. Shadow quickly returned to the group.

"There is a renegade SOLDIER" He explained. "Judging from the activity going on, he isn't that friendly. We should probably keep moving, stay close."

"Rubbish." Vergil said. "If there is a criminal, there is probably a reward. I say we capture him."

Shadow didn't know whether to laugh, or yell at him. "Didn't you hear me? He's a former SOLDIER."

"Well, of course. Scum like you could never stand up to SOLDIER. I have training with this blade that would awe you."

"Vergil, I really don't have time for this. We're going, and if you get separated, I'll look for your name in the obituaries."

"Vergil, love." Victoria said. "It's really not worth it. We're so utterly close to Midgar, perhaps we should just listen to him."

"Victoria, don't worry. I'll find this renegade, and I'll meet up with you in Midgar in no time at all." Vergil said, kissing Victoria on the cheek. "Take care of Ariel. " He ran off in the direction of the city square.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Whatever, come on, let's go."

"Shadow, we should go after him, it's not safe." Tashia argued.

"You know what, fine, let's just do something." Shadow snapped at her, he could sense something about the atmosphere was ruining his mood. The group started off in the direction Vergil had gone.

==##==

Vergil stopped running, looking around the area. A few citizens bumped into him, causing him to fall forward.

"Damn peasants" he cursed, climbing back to his feet, he wiped himself off. Just then, he heard a scream. He looked at a woman who was across the street, looking up towards the roof tops. He followed her gaze, finding that she was looking at a man dressed in a red jacket.

"That must be him." Vergil said, cockily. He ran into the building, finding the stair case. He bounded up the flight of stairs, quickly ascending the five flights of stairs. He burst through the door, finding himself on the roof. The man was about twenty feet from him, looking out over the city. His back was to him.

"You" Vergil challenged. The man turned to face him. "you must be the renegade everyone is talking about."

"Perhaps. That's all based on ones views after all."

"Cut the nonsense. I'm no fan of Shinra, but I'm willing to wager they'd pay for your capture. Gil is Gil after all."  
"Very well, if it is a fight you want, I'll indulge you."

Vergil responded by drawing his Rapier. "En guard, peasant." he challenged.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Shadow!" Tashia screamed. "Look out!"

Shadow jumped back just as the sword hit the ground in front of him. The blade embed in the ground. The body followed soon afterwards, slamming in the ground face down. Victoria screamed in terror. Shadow could tell from the clothing that it was Vergil. He looked up toward the roof of the building. Sure enough, he could see someone up there.  
"Stay here." he told the Tashia. Before she could protest, he lept into the air, landing on a window on the second floor. He lept to another window, this one on the third floor. He looked up, the man was watching him, a smirk on his face. The man backed away from the ledge. Shadow made two more leaps. Finally, his hands grasped the side of the roof. He pulled himself up. The man stood about fifteen feet away. Shadow took a step away from the ledge, he put his left hand around his sheath, his thumb pushed the blade out about an inch, making for a quicker draw if necessary.

"You must be Genesis." Shadow said.

"You must be Shadow." Genesis responded. Shadow was shocked that Genesis knew who he was. Genesis turned to the side, wand began pacing. "Angeal mentioned you may come along eventually."

"So he's already found you?"

"Yes, he is after all my oldest friend."

"Well, that saves me the trouble of capturing you." Shadow said. "Did you kill the other guy?"

"Friend of yours?"

"Not really."

"Before I kill you, do you have any idea why Angeal chose me?"

"That's for him to tell you." Genesis replied, finally readying his sword.

"Fine, I'll have to ask him once you're dead."

"It's a shame you'll never get that chance."

In a flash, Genesis charged him. Shadow's movement was perfect, his timing exact. His sword left the sheath, landing smoothly in his hand. Genesis thrust his sword forward, Shadow moved his head slightly, causing the sword to miss, but it his the edge of his glasses, knocking them off. Genesis turned his sword, and cut horizontally, forcing Shadow to bow his head, and roll away. Genesis was turning to face him as Shadow stepped forward, his sword thrust out in front of him. Genesis easily parried his attack.

"You're good at this, let's pick up the pace." Genesis said, as Shadow attempted to catch his breath. Shadow barely could see him as he sped forward. He blocked one attack, and was forced to dodge another. Genesis kept coming, seeming to be a full step ahead. Finally, his sword crashed against Shadow's. Shadow pushed with all his might, his sword locked against Genesis's. Finally Genesis jumped back. Shadow fell to his knee, breathing heavily.

"Good, very good." Genesis said. "Let's try something new." Genesis pressed his hand against his blade. Shadow watched in horror as he moved his hand down the blade, the sword began to glow.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Shadow said as Genesis pulled his hand away. Genesis smirked again, and then he charged. Shadow jumped back, flying into the air. Genesis followed him. Shadow could hear screams from below. He didn't have time to looked as Genesis reached him, and swung his sword. Shadow blocked with his sword, but the force caused him to fly even higher. He watched in horror as Genesis began charging his spell. He thrust his hand towards Genesis, and fire balls flew out at him. Shadow chopped through each fireball, putting them out. Finally, the last one got through his defense, and hit his chest. He fell to the ground, his jacket quickly becoming engulfed in flames. He landed hard on another roof top, rolling out of the way as Genesis came crashing down where he was seconds before. Shadow used his momentum to launch himself to his feet. He flung off his coat, and had time to his his sword up as Genesis swung vertically. Once again, they locked swords. Shadow's eyes widened as the golden sword started to give way.

"Looks like it's over." Genesis said.

Shadow watched his sword shatter, and the magical blade come at him. He quickly put his hand up, catching the blade. Thanks to his enhanced skin, the cut was not too deep.

"It's not over yet." He said.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Genesis jumped out of the way of Shadow"s wild fist, he lowered his sword as Shadow stood up straight. Shadow was now unarmed, but he wouldn't give up.

"Well, now I can see why it is that Angeal chose you."

"Enough talk!" Shadow said. He bent over and picked what remained of his sword off the ground. The four inch shard of metal wouldn't help him much.

"This fight is over." Genesis said, stepping back towards the ledge of the building.

"Don't run Genesis." Shadow said, stepping towards his enemy. "Fight me."

"It's not our destiny to kill each other." Genesis responded, stepping up onto the ledge.

"Genesis..."

"until we meet again, Shadow." Genesis said, stepping back and falling out of sight.

"FIGHT ME!" Shadow screamed, running to the ledge and watching Genesis fly away into the distance. "Come back here and fight me you coward!" Shadow let out an animalistic scream. By now Genesis was out of sight. Shadow half heartily threw the broken blade into the ocean below. He sat down on the ledge.

"This isn't like me." He said to himself. "I couldn't of won, nor do I have any personal grudges with him. Why did I hunger for the fight?"

"Shadow?" He heard Tashia's voice ask, she sounded kind of close.

"What have I become?"

"Shadow, are you OK?" Tashia's voice asked again, this time she sounded even further away.

"What's going on? What did Angeal want with me? He doesn't even know me."

"Shadow, please say something." Tashia pleaded, standing right next to him by now. She had her hand on his shoulder.

"I should of never came back. I should of stayed hidden away from the rest of the world. It's too dangerous for someone like me to be around others."

Tashia sat beside him, placing her arm around his shoulders, she lay her head against him.

"I shouldn't get so attached to happiness. It seems every time I get settled in one place, every time I get a life... I loose it." Shadow stood up. "Tashia, let's get to Midgar."

Tashia looked up at him, she could easily sense that there was something troubling him. She felt that she had to help him, no matter what the cost would be. She stood up as well.

"Yeah, we've been here long enough." She said. "I sent Hal ahead with Victoria and Ariel, but we shouldn't have too much trouble catching them with just the two of us."

"Yeah, you're right." Shadow said. "Tashia, how long were you here for?"

"So you really didn't know I was here?"

Shadow shook his head. Tashia looked down at her feet. "I got here just as that man jumped off. Was it the renegade?"

Shadow shook his head. "That man was something, but he didn't feel like he was a turn coat."  
"What do you mean? Did he say something to you?"

Shadow stood for a moment. He wished that he could pretend that it all meant nothing, that it was all just random, but something didn't seem right. Why would Angeal have him find Genesis if he himself was going to look for him? Why did he choose him of all people? Why hadn't Genesis finished him?

"No, he didn't say anything." Shadow lied. "let's go."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Unsurprisingly, it hadn't taken Shadow and Tashia long to find the camp that Hal had set up. As they approached it, they could see the three gathered around the fire. Victoria saw them first. She stood up, causing the others to notice them.

"Did you kill him?" She asked. Shadow was about to tell her that Genesis had fled when Tashia cut him off.

"Yes, your husband's murderer is dead Victoria."

Victoria burst into tears as she flung herself against Shadow, surprising everyone.

"Thank you so much, I'm so sorry about everything that my family put you through, we truly owe you a great debt for avenging Vergil."

"Whoa, mom, look at his arms, they're..." Ariel began.

"Be quiet Ariel." Victoria snapped, shocking the young child. "Show some respect for him." She turned her attention back to Shadow. "Are you injured? Do you need help with anything?"

"No, I'm fine." Shadow responded. All the attention was making him uncomfortable.

They continued like that throughout the dinner scraps that Victoria had prepared while Tashia and Shadow were looking for them. Shadow was thankful when they finished them.

"I guess I'm going to go to bed." Shadow said, standing up to leave.

"You can stay in our tent with us if you want to." Victoria said, quickly jumping up to stop him.

"No, it's OK, I prefer sleeping outside." He said, telling the truth.

"Well, let's at least get you some blankets or something." She said.

"No, it's fine, really." Shadow said desperately as Victoria grabbed him by the arm, pulling him with her as she walked towards her tent.

"Oh, it's fine. We really do have too many. You could probably make a nice bed out of it if you wanted to. In fact, it is beautiful tonight." Shadow looked up at the cloudy sky. "Ariel, me and you are sleeping outside with Shadow tonight.

"Victoria, he's going to sleep in my tent tonight." Tashia said, causing every one to turn and stare at her.

"Vat?" Hal asked, confused.

"yeah what?" Shadow asked.

"I... have feelings for Shadow, and I think he has them for me too." She continued, blushing bright red.

"OK." Shadow thought to himself. "She's admitting to the others that their princess is in love with an outsider... this can't be good."

"Vat do you mean that you have feelings for him?" Hal said, standing up.

"Sit down Hal." Tashia threatened. "I am old enough to know whom I love."

"No, you've only just turned sixteen."

"That's old enough!" Tashia yelled.

"No it's not."

"it doesn't matter!" Shadow cut in. Everyone looked at him in shock. "I'm leaving as soon as we get to Midgar anyway. That was are agreement."

Tashia stared at him in disbelief. "I thought that we were..."

"In love?" Shadow asked. Tashia was unable to answer, so just nodded. "You can't love a monster like me. I'm going to bed." Shadow turned, and started walking into the darkness of the night.

"You're not a monster!" Tashia yelled after him.

"yeah I am." Answered, not breaking his stride. He added silently. "Though I wish that I wasn't."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Waking up the next day was awkward, everyone was still upset about the previous night. They packed up in silence, no one saying a single word. They began traveling, Shadow kept his pace a little faster than normal, keeping a long ways ahead of everybody else. Finally, they came to a cave in the side of the mountain range they were following.

"The quickest route is through these caves. Once through, we're about a days walk from the city."

"Yeah." Tashia answered. Her voice sounded glum.

"Alright, follow me and try not to get lost." Shadow said, leading the way. They made there way through the caves slowly. While walking along one of the narrow ledges, the floor gave out under Tashia's feet. She started to fall, but Shadow managed to grab a hold of her shoulder, and easily lifted her back onto the ledge.

"Watch your step." he told her, continuing to move along the ledge. Finally, they reached a large cavern inside of the cave. From the looks of things, someone had made camp inside of it.

"This seems like an odd place to set up camp." Victoria said, looking around.

"Yeah, it does." Tashia agreed.

This is giving me a bad feeling. The shot rang out in the chamber, the bullet striking Tashia in the back of the head. Shadow reached for her as she started to fall back, catching her in his arms. Another shot rang out, then another. Hal fell next, blood spraying from his chest, Victoria afterwards. Ariel ran for the opening for the chamber, The shot hit her in the center of her back, she collapsed where she stood. Shadow cradled Tashia's lifeless body in his arms, tears flowing from his eyes. He felt a bullet drive into his side, then his shoulder. No matter how many hit him, he could not die.

==##==

Shadow quickly snapped back to consciousness. He kicked his leg out, causing Tashia to trip over it and fall to the ground just as the first shot rang out. He spun around, lifting his arm in the part of the gun to Hal's chest. The shot's ceased.

"You look familiar." The voice said. Shadow watched as a man emerged from behind a rock.

"Ferret?" Shadow asked surprised. He barely was able to recognized his former friend. The time apart hadn't shown well for him. His hair was graying and thinning, despite his still youthful age. His close were barely rags. Shadow was surprised that the gun in his hand even still worked. It was covered in rust spots.

"Shadow?" Ferret said, his facing showing the realization of who was standing in front of him. A cruel smile formed on his badly scarred face. "Shadow, how glad I am to see you."

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Shadow asked. "Bull expand his borders?"

"Yeah, but not this far. It's all gone down hill after that whoopin' y'all gave us in the slums. Bull was pissed, threw all us out of the gang, started rebuilding it. I don't know what happened to Mantis and Fang. We all split up. I became a thief... then I killed a couple of people, and now I'm hiding out here. And now, I'm going to kill you, and take what you owe me out of those three women."

"Just try it it" Hal said, stepping forward. His spear in his hands.

"Ferret, you don't want a fight."

"Yes I do!" He yelled, raising the gun to fire. In a flash, Shadow was in front of him. He grabbed Ferret's wrist, and shot his palm into Ferret's elbow, snapping his arm, the gun fell to the floor. Shadow kicked Ferret in the stomach, causing him to fly back, slamming against the wall.

"This... isn't possible." Ferret said, drawing a long, rusted dirk. Shadow grabbed his hand, and forced the dirk away, holding is at his side.

"You really don't know when to stop do you?" He said, not forming it as a question. He stabbed Ferret's leg with the dirk. "You were going to kill us weren't you?"

"N... no, I swear I wasn't trying to kill you guys." Ferret said, pathetically.

"I don't believe you Ferret." Shadow said, gripping the dirk tightly.

"Shadow..." Ferret whimpered. "Come on buddy."

Shadow slammed the blade down into the skull of Ferret, causing him to scream. The blow miraculously hadn't killed him.

"Oh god, just kill me!" He cried, tears flowed from his eyes as blood flowed from the new wound made by the dirk. Shadow grabbed Ferret by the leg and started dragging him towards the deep hole just outside of the cavern. His sobs echoed through the chamber, a trail of blood being left behind them.

"Shadow, just finish him." Tashia pleaded.

Shadow finally reached the hole and stopped. He turned around and grabbed Ferret under his arms. He lifted Ferret up into a standing position and tossed him into the hole. There was silence followed by a soft thud as Ferret hit the bottom. He twitched in pain, whimpering his pleas for death. Shadow walked away from the edge, leaving the pathetic man in pain, trapped in the deep fissure.

"Shadow..." He heard him plead quietly. "Please just finish me." His voice was broken by sobs.

Shadow ignore him, walking back into the chamber.

"Let's go." he said coldly. Without waiting for a response, he headed for the exit of the caves.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The sun shown brightly in the afternoon sky, the bright green plains stretching out in front of the group as they emerged from the caves.

"Let's take a short break." Tashia said. "Hal, go find some fire wood." The big man nodded and walked off to a grove of nearby trees. Tashia turned to Shadow. "What has come over you." She asked angrily.

"What?" Shadow responded, annoyed at the sudden attack.

"You tortured that man."

"What? I did no such thing. He attacked us, I retaliated."

"No, you could of killed him easily. What you did was torture." She snapped at him.

"What do you know!" Shadow snapped back at her. "You don't even know him, he deserved what I did to him. Every last part of it."

"You've changed Shadow..." She said, he could see tears forming in her eyes. "And not in a good way."

"It's about time somebody noticed! Did you forget what I am? All because of that damn company."

"They didn't make you a monster, you did!" She snapped, the tears had begun to flow.

Shadow drew back his hand to strike her, but stopped when he looked past her over her shoulder. Ariel was playing in the water of the swamp, there was something under the water, something quickly racing towards her.

"Ariel, get out of the water!" Shadow yelled, pushing Tashia to the side, he raced full speed toward the young girl. So much happened so fast, the giant snake emerged from the water, Ariel screamed upon seeing it, and Shadow lept into the air. The snake's head shot at Ariel, it's mouth open, ready to devour is small meal. Shadow smashed into it's face, causing it to go off target and strike the ground.

"Everyone! Go now, get to Midgar!" Shadow said, climbing to his feet and readying for the snakes counter attack. The group were all rushing past them, heading for the city. "Tashia, when you get there, go to the Sector Eight Slums, and look for a church. I'll meet you there." He said, turning his attention fully to the snake. He watched as it extended itself to it's full length, his eyes wide as he stared at the twenty foot snake.

"Well" he said to himself, he really wished that he had a weapon. "You're a big one."

The snake struck at him, forcing him to dive out of the way. The snake struck again, this time Shadow barely manage to move his legs out of the way. He kicked against the snakes head, causing him to slide back as the snake lifted it's head again. He lept to his feet as the snake struck towards him again.

"Enough!" Shadow bellowed. He shot his hands out, catching the snakes fangs. The snake struggled to bite at him. Shadow twist his arm, tearing one of the fangs out of the snakes mouth. The snake roared in pain, pulling it's head back. Shadow jumped into the air, towards the head, and buried the fang deep into the snakes skull. He watched it's eyes close as the mammoth beast fell to the ground, dead. He slowly climbed to his feat, the snakes blood on his clothes.

"Well, that's problem is done." He said, not noticing the second snake slithering up behind him. He turned just as it broke the water. Too late to react, the tail hit him, sending him flying into the air. He started falling, and knew that he was in trouble. He flew into the rocky side of the mountain at such a force, that he was buried into it. A face popped into his head, but it wasn't of Tashia. It was someone he hadn't thought about in a long time.

"Aerith..." he said weakly before loosing consciousness.

==##==

In the Slums of Midgar, near Sector Eight, a church stood silently. Tashia approached the church, slowly opening the heavy door. She entered find a garden in front of her. Their was a girl in the center of it, working on them.

"Oh, hello." the girl said noticing her. "Are you lost?"

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting. I was hoping to meet someone here." Tashia said, looking around. "He told me to meet him here."

"Oh, a boyfriend?" The girl asked, standing up. Tashia looked down at the floor.

"I don't know." She replied. "I kind of hope so, but he's kind of withdrawn."

"Oh, I knew someone like that a long time ago." The girl said. "He was my brother, but he left a long time ago. He is actually the one who showed me this place. What's your name?"

"Tashia. How about you?"

"I'm Aerith. You can stay here as long as you want to. I'm sure your friend will come eventually."

Tashia thought of Shadow, she saw him, not as she had last seen him, but as he was that night in the cave.

"Would you like a flower?" Aerith asked.

Tashia looked up at Aerith. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

The two women walked over to the garden in the floor of the old church. The younger one talking about her lost brother. How he had taught her how to handle the flowers, and how later that day he protected her from a gang of thugs that hung around the Midgar slums.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

A mountain side town in flames, betrayed by a legend. A hero shot down by the company that employed him. The deaths of two great soldiers, the start of a future legend. An unlikely triumph, and imprisonment and freedom. Shadow lay in his dark earthy tomb, lost in his unconscious thoughts. He saw these events, though he was unsure how. He saw yet another thing as well. The collapsed rocks above him shifted aside, revealing the blue sky. A young man stood above him, looking down into the hole that he lay inside.

"Brother, I've finally found you." the man's blurred voice said. "They were right, you are extremely ill. Not to worry, that is my ability. I will remove the poison, leaving you with only your stronger body." Shadow was blinded as the man removed his gloves, the bright glowing of the man's hands illuminating his hole. "This might sting a little." The man said, pressing the palms of his hand against Shadow's chest. Shadow felt his body overcome with pain, the already blurred image of the man above him started to fade to black. "Not to worry, I will take care of you." the man said, just as Shadow lost consciousness.

==##==

Shadow awoke with a start, the sun shining brightly in the blue sky above. He groggily climbed to his feet, his legs went out from under him. He flung out his hands to keep from falling face first into the ground. This eyes went wide as he stared at his hand, turning it over. All traces of his MAKO infusion were gone from his hands. He quickly looked over the rest of his body, finding the same for his entirety. He lowered him self to the ground, pushing off roughly with his hands. He flew into the air, landing on his feet. Though the disfiguring marks of the MAKO were gone, he had retained his abilities. He looked around his area, finding the hole in the ground where he had lay. He walked over to it, finding it flooded with dirty MAKO. He looked around, but found himself alone. How long had it been? How long did he lay in that hole, passing in and out of consciousness. He took a moment to figure out where he was, and started heading towards the north. Finally, the grassland turned to desert, and the city appeared on the horizon. He continued towards the city, finally reaching it just as the sun started to go down. He circled around the gigantic structure until he found what he was looking for, the door marked Sector 8. He pried the locked door open, slipping inside. After walking a few minutes, he came across his target, the old beaten cathedral.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The once exquisite door groaned as he pushed it open. He walked into the cathedral, shocking the two people inside. Two young children, one male, one female, were kneeling down next to a garden that dominated most of the floor. He looked around, but found no one else inside. The two kids jumped up, noticing him.

"She told us we could take care of the flowers until she got back." the boy said.

"Yeah." The girl added.

"Relax, I'm not here to tell you off. I'm just looking for Aerith." Shadow explained. "Do you know where I could find her?"

"Shut up, you must be one of them if you're looking for Aerith." The boy said bravely.

"One of who?"

"The Turks. They come here all the time trying to take Aerith. I thought that you guys would stop after that blond guy whooped you all so bad, but apparently I was wrong."

Shadow digested this information, so Shinra was still after Aerith. Well, he'd make them forget her really quick. He spun around and walked to the exit of the church, leaving to the two children confused.

==##==

He approached the house, his nerves were affecting him. He never thought he'd return to it, never thought he'd be able to let himself come home. He knocked on the door, then listened as the footsteps ran to the door. It was flung open, Elmyra standing in the door way. She stared at him a moment, the realization of who he was dawned on her. She flung herself against him.

"Oh, Shadow. Thank god you've returned." She sobbed, pushing herself away from him. "Something terrible has happened?"

Shadow stared at her, concern washing over his face. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Elmyra took a deep breath. "Aerith has been kidnapped by Shinra."

==##==

Twelve years earlier, Aerith and Shadow had sat in the Church one hot summer day. Shadow watched Aerith as she played with some wooden dolls he had carved for her just a few days earlier. He quickly looked towards the door when he though her heard it creak, but it remained shut.

"Hey Shadow?" Aerith said.

Shadow turned his attention back to her. "Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about joining SOLDIER?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. It was all everyone talked about. Soldier this, Sephiroth that. "No, why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering." She said, jumping up to her feet. She ran over to him. "If you joined SOLDIER, you'd become really strong right?"

"I guess." He answered honestly. "I've never really thought about it."

"Then you could always protect me right?" Aerith said.

Shadow jumped to his feet. "Come on Aerith. We both know no one is stronger than I am? I can already protect you."

"Really? So then you wouldn't mind promising to protect me no matter what?"

"Of course I will. After all, you're my little sister." He said, smiling. He loved the way her eyes lit up whenever he said that. She hugged him tightly around the waste.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

James Draken was just getting off the elevator in the lobby. His red suit fine pressed, his shoes shined, and his tie perfectly straight, even after his wonderful work day, and his horrible train ride earlier that day when he was forced to share a train ride with those wretched scum bags.

"Hey Suzy." he said to the receptionist at the front desk. "Make sure my secretary gets those packages turned in before she leaves."

"Yes Mr. Draken." The woman replied. James turned and started walking to the glass doors when they shattered, the sharp glass fragments flying at him, piercing into his face and body. He fell to the floor, crying in pain as blood ran from his wounds. The receptionist screamed in terror as the man entered the lobby, catching the security's attention. The two armed guards ran at the intruder.

==##==

Shadow backhanded the closer of the two security guards, causing him to fly through one of the glass stands that decorated the lobby. The second one opened fire with is rifle. Shadow stared at him as the bullets flew through the air, bouncing harmlessly off of his chest. Shadow reached out, grasping the guards throat. The guard dropped his weapon and began kicking his feet as he was lifted off the ground. The crack filled the air, and the guard stopped moving as Shadow snapped his neck easily. He threw the dead guard aside as the guard on the second floor began firing downwards at him. Shadow jumped up the twenty feet to the second floor balcony, grabbing the guard by the shoulder as he tried to jump back. Shadow grabbed the guards own combat knife, and unsheathed it. The guard aimed the rifle at Shadow's head and pulled the trigger, causing Shadow's head to jerk back. Shadow retaliated by pressing the knife to the guards chest and slowly pushing it into his heart. The guard's eyes rolled up into his eyes as he died. Shadow withdrew the knife and threw the guard to the side. He heard the ding as the elevator arrived at the second floor. He watched to doors open and the ten guards pile out of it. They even sent a commander with them.

"Fire" The commander ordered. The guards fired at Shadow, forcing him to stumble back against the rail. Shadow glared at the squad, he started running at them, the bullet bouncing off of him. Some of them started to flee.

"Cowards!" The commander yelled at the ones to fled.

Shadow fluidly struck down each guard, the knife cutting through their flesh easily.

"Get back here and fight!" The commander continued to yell, not noticing Shadow approach him from behind. The commander felt a finger tap his shoulder. He spun around, finding himself face to face with Shadow. The knife arched through the air, making a clean cut down the center of the commanders face. He fell to the ground, shrieking in agony. Shadow calmly entered the elevator, hitting the button for the top floor. The button didn't move, nor did the elevator. Shadow pressed it again, still nothing. Finally, he heard the commander speak weakly.

"You need the key card. You'll never get it."

Shadow glared at the commander, and then finally slammed his fist into the button. The elevator doors closed and it began to ascend the tower.

"You need the key card." Shadow mocked. "The hell I do." The elevator went up to the top floor and the doors slowly opened. He was met with quite a sight. The silver haired man was dragging what seemed to be a decapitated woman behind him. Then it dawned on him who exactly it was.

"Sephiroth!" He said, his voice full of surprise, exiting the elevator. Sephiroth looked up at him. "Very well, if I have to get past you to get to the president, so be it." Shadow said. No sooner had he said this, than the blade of Masamune struck him in the chest. He flew backwards, slamming into the elevator, which started to descend again.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The elevator reached the lobby once again. Shadow climbed to his feet, his ears ringing and his vision blurred. He leaned against the frame of the open doors. "Lucky shot." He said, falling forward onto his face. He crawled back to the elevator, and climbed up the side of it. His vision finally fixing it self, he stared at the button he had smashed to get the elevator to work. "Well, that's broken." He said. "Now I have to use the stairs." He walked out of the elevator, and started towards the stares, completely forgetting the second Elevator. He started up the stairs, running them, taking them two steps at a time. Finally, he reached the landing, out of breath. "This has to be it." He said, opening the door. He looked around for Sephiroth, and that's when he saw it. He glared as he read the sign "Thirteenth floor, Janitorial lounge!" he screamed. "You've got to be kidding me!" Once again he ran into the stairwell and started running wildly up the stairs.

==##==

As Shadow neared the sixtieth floor, he could hear continuous gunfire, accompanied by panicked yells. The fire returning to him, the last few floors seemed like nothing as he got to the top of the stairwell, he kicked the door open. He stared at the sight before him, the Shinra guards were in battle with the strangest animals he had ever seen.

"Intruder." One of the Red Mech Suit said, as it started approaching him. It had it's cannons aimed right at him. "Stay where you are, or I will be forced to open fire."

Shadow couldn't help but smile. "Do you really think that'll stop me?" He jumped to the side just as the Mech opened fire, the missiles colliding with the floor where Shadow had been standing moments earlier. Shadow kicked away from the wall, propelling himself at the Mech as it turned to aim at him again. He reached it just as it fire, managing to move it's cannon so that it was facing the ceiling, causing a hole to be blown into the floor above.

"Thanks." Shadow said, ripping the arm of the Mech off, and slamming it into the head of the Mech. The Mech fell to the floor, it's circuits frying themselves. Shadow jumped upwards through the hole in the ceiling. He watched as the scene was pretty much the same as the floor below. More animals locked in battle with more Shinra personnel. He spied what he was looking for, the stairwell that lead the rest of the way up to the presidents office. He ran for it, only getting shot once. He flung himself up the stairs, finally reaching the sixty sixth floor, where he slipped in a trail of blood. "What the hell is going on here?" He asked himself. He followed the trail with his eyes, it obviously went up the stairs. He began to follow it, until finally reaching his goal of the sixty ninth floor. He made it to the top of the steps, not noticing the elevator doors closing. He ran up the final stairs to the president's office.

"What the fuck!" He said, shocked to find the president dead. He approached the body, noting the sword still sticking out of his back. "Masamune? Did Sephiroth do this?" He wondered out loud. He climbed on top of the desk, and pulled the blade from the corpse. No doubt about it, the sword was indeed the legendary weapon. He swung the sword back and forth. "I could get used to this." He said, laughing. Finally, he remembered the reason he came here. "Shit, Aerith."

He watched as the man on the motorcycle burst through the window, the truck following closely behind. Both landed safely on the highway below them. They slowed down, everything did. Shadow walked over to them, looking into the truck. She had grown since he had last seen her, but he knew it was her. "Aerith." He whispered.

He opened his eyes, he ran out onto the president's balcony, looking down at the highway. Sure enough, he saw the two vehicles traveling along the highway, Shinra Mobilized corps chasing after them. He turned quickly, rushing back inside. He ran to the elevators, pressing the down button quickly. "That's strange, why do they have two elevators on this floor?" He pressed the down button again. Finally, he pried open the doors. He lept from the floor, beginning the free fall towards the ground.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Look out." One of the guards standing inside the elevator said as he saw the figure falling towards them. Before the rest of them could act, the figure landed with a thud on top of it. Using the sword, he easily cut the box away from the building. The guards started yelling as the elevator began to fall away. Shadow pried the doors open, wielding the Masamune Blade in front of him.

"What are you waiting for men." The guard that was obviously in charge said. "Fire!"

The order went unanswered as the men panicked in the revelation that they were falling to their deaths. Shadow grabbed the head guard, and whipped him out into the open air. With a few swings of his sword, the others in the elevator bled wildly. Shadow stared at the ground as it seemed to rush towards him. The force of the impact was enough to collapse the box. The guards surrounding the entrance of the building quickly ran over to the impact sight, checking to see if their were any survivors. They peeled away the metal that lay on top of Shadow.

"No way, they're all dead after that." The guard said, turning away. In a flash, Shadow shot to his feet. He impaled the guard with his sword. Forcing the blade upwards, he slice through the guard easily splitting him in two.

"Open fire!" He heard a voice order. Once again, Shadow found himself being pelted with round from Assault Rifles and Handguns alike.

"Don't you get it!" Shadow said angrily taking a step towards them. "That doesn't work!"

"Get the artillery in here!" a voice called. Shadow watched as a guard approached the front of the lines. The man aimed a RPG at Shadow. Shadow tightened his grip on the sword.

"Fire!" Came the order. The guard squeezed the trigger slowly, the rocket ignited, launching at him.

Shadow stepped forward, swinging his sword in a high arc. The blade sliced cleanly through the rocket, cutting it in half. The two halves of the rockets spun off into the night.

"Ready!" came another order. This time, two more men came to the front of the line. "Fire!"

Their timing wasn't perfect, the first rocket ignited a few seconds just before the second. Shadow spun on the spot, as he came back around, he cut the first rocket in half just as he did the first. He easily batted the second one with his open hand, causing it to fly into the wall of the Shinra building, blowing a huge hole in it.

"Ready!" the order came again.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Don't you get... oh shit." He said as a dozen guards came forward, their RPGs at the ready. Shadow swallowed roughly, raising his sword again.

"Fire!" The commander yelled this order. The rockets all launched at Shadow. The blue dome of energy came out of nowhere, surrounding Shadow quickly. The rockets all ignited against the shield. After the blast, the shield dissipated.

"Did I do that?" Shadow asked himself, looking around.

"Behind us!" He heard someone yelled. Shadow watched as someone flew up into the air, his weapon flying out of his hands. Then another. One flew through the lines, knocking a few guards out of the way. He watched as the guards, completely forgetting him, turned to rush their new opponent. More guards flew here and there. Finally, a blast of blue energy erupted. The shock wave was so strong that it knocked Shadow off his feet. As he climbed back to his feet, he was amazed at the site in front of him. The lone man stood in the center of a ring of bodies. The man quickly approached Shadow.

"I guess I owe you my thanks." Shadow said. The man's response was punching Shadow in the face, causing him to stumble back. Shadow held up his sword. The man easily knocked the sword out of his hand and, grabbing both of his Shoulders, forced him to the ground.

"I go into town for two hours to get supplies, and you do this? You just came out of a coma and you're already waging war on the single most powerful affiliation on this planet?" The man said, he sounded exasperated.

Shadow knocked the man off of him, and jumped to his feet. The man slowly climbed to his feet. For some reason, Shadow found that he shouldn't attack him.

"Who are you?" Shadow demanded.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Shadow sped along the highway, going in the same direction he had seen Aerith heading. In the passenger seat next to him, the man who had saved him sat. He was talking constantly, but Shadow was trying his hardest to ignore everything he said.

"So, what have you been up to brother?" The man asked. Finally Shadow couldn't take it anymore.

"What's your name again?" he asked.

"Markus."

"OK, Micheal, I want you to listen really close. I am not your brother."

"But you are, I've searched for you ever since the accident. I was in Nibelheim doing some research for father when I got the message, by the time I got back home, you were gone."

"You're not my brother, I have no family other than the Gainsboroughs."

Finally, Markus rolled his eyes. "Very well brother." In a flash, his hand was on the wheel. The cranked it hard, causing the truck to crash against the guard rails.

"What the fuck are you doing!" Shadow demanded, trying to pry the the wheel out of the older man's hands.

"Oh, I use whatever means I have at my disposal to get my point across." He said it like he was bragging.

"You're gonna get us killed."

"I am? You could always take your foot off the gas pedal brother."

"I'm not your brother!"

"Father says you are."

"Ha." Shadow exclaimed. "you said that your father was dead."

Markus stared at Shadow, and then let go of the wheel. "You're not ready for this conversation. Very well, I'll find you later and make you listen to me." With this, he casually opened the door of the speeding truck, and stepped out. Shadow quickly looked back, finding the man quickly fading into the distance, but completely unharmed. He stared at him for a moment, and then finally turned his head back forward, just in time to see the end of the road. He slammed the break, but was too late. The truck flew off the highway, and crashed into the hard ground below. The smoking wreckage easily caught fire. Shadow kicked the bent door open, and stepped out of the truck. He casually patted out his arm, causing the fire to spread to his other hand. He stared at his burning flesh for a moment, and then finally pent down, burying them in the sand below. He pulled his arms out of the sand, finding them completely unharmed.

"I guess that's one thing I'll never regret about the whole Tsviet thing." He said out loud. He quickly looked around and finally found what he was looking for. They were faint, but the tracks lead in the direction of the nearby town of Kalm. He started walking, following the tracks to what he hoped was the person he was searching for. He didn't notice Markus, still on the highway, staring down at him, watching him.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Shadow reached the town very early the next day. Standing at the entrance, he looked around at the empty streets. He spun around when he heard a voices behind him. He watched as Markus walked up to him, but then he noticed that he looked younger, less weathered, he was holding a box. Shadow watched as he stumbled along a loose stone in the gravel road that had suddenly replaced the concrete one. He quickly spun around, looking at some buildings that had appeared, noting others that had vanished.

"Be careful with that Markus." Came a voice from behind him. He turned to find a middle aged couple walking into the town. The women seemed to be holding an infant. The man walked up to the younger Markus. "Those our really fragile son. They're also very important."

"Sorry Father." Markus said, looking down at the box.

The man placed his hand on the teens shoulder. "it's OK, just be more careful. Take it up to the house, me and your mother will be there shortly."

Markus nodded, and turned back towards a house on the far side of the square. Shadow watched as the man walked back over to the woman.

"How is he holding up?" The man asked her.

"He's fine David, though I bet he's tired from the trip." She responded.

The man smiled. "I forgot how they are at the age. Let's go home."

"Can I help you sir?" The old woman asked Shadow. The scene vanished, returning the surroundings to normal.

"I'm sorry?" Shadow said, not having heard what the woman had said.

"Are you lost dearie?"

"Oh, uh... Did you see a group travel into town today?"

"Oh, missing your friends are you dearie?" the woman said, her smile showed her toothless mouth. "I saw a group, but they left just an hour ago. They headed in the direction of the Chocobo ranch."

Shadow thanked the woman and was turning to leave when he noticed the old house, it looked abandoned. "What's with the house?" He asked the woman.

"Oh, that old place? Some scientist used to live their a long time ago. One day, he just up and disappeared, the place actually caught fire too, luckily we managed to put it out before it go too bad. Haven't seen any sign of the people who lived their. All this must've happened, well you would have been really young, just a baby most likely."

"Yeah." Shadow said, eying the house. "Just a baby."

Shadow turned, walking out of the entrance of the town. Once again he didn't notice Markus. Who stood atop of the Inn. He watched Shadow as he exited the town and started walking in the direction of Chocobo Ranch.

"And so it begins." He said. He could sense the change it Shadow's demeanor. "It won't be long now."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Shadow walked for a few hours, finally emerging from the pass between the mountains and the plateaus. He could see a barn in the distance. "That's must be it." he said, as he began walking towards it. He had take only a few steps when he sense a presence. He spun just as the body collided with him. He slammed into the ground as his attacked kicked off of him, spinning in the air and lading on their feet. Shadow climbed to his feet, looking at the woman whom had attacked him. She seemed to be in her late teens, early twenties. She was readying to attack again but stopped when she recognized him.

"you're... you're dead." She said, staring at him.

Shadow looked at her for a moment, until finally recognizing her. "Ariel, what the hell are you doing out here?"

Ariel continued to stare at him in disbelief. She walked over to a large rock, sitting down with her back against it. Finally, she looked up at him. "The princess left. She never forgave you for not coming. She went to that god forsake church everyday, but you never showed up. Finally, she left one day and never came back. As for Ma and me, Hal found an anti-Shinra organization that took us in, then he left to find the princess, but he didn't come back either. Me and Ma were alone when it happened. One of the scouts for the organization was followed back to it's headquarters. I was out at the market when they attacked, they killed a lot of people that day, and held public executions the very next day." Ariel stood up, her fury shown in her face. "Midgar watched as my mother was executed. Some of them even cheered when it happened. My mother was killed by the same company that had destroyed her home."

Shadow took a step towards her, he reached out to her.

"Don't you touch me!" She snapped. "You left us all. You could of changed everything. You could of helped us all stay together."

Despite her protest, Shadow placed his hand on her shoulder. Her reaction was almost immediate, but not surprising. He turned into him pressing her face into his chest. She wept silently as he embraced her comfortingly.

"It'll be ok." He said reassuringly. Ariel lifted her tear stained face up to look at him.

"Are you going to find them? Hal and the princess?"

"Eventually I will. That I promise you. I just have one thing I need to do, something I should of done a long time ago. As for you, there is a woman in the Sector Eight Slums, her name is Elmyra Gainsborough. Tell her I sent you, and that you need a place to stay until I come back."

Ariel looked at him, he could sense that she had doubts about what he had said, and he understood why she did. Despite this, she nodded, and started walking in the direction of Midgar. Shadow could not believe what his absence had cost. It seemed like all hell was let loose while he was gone.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Shadow finally reached the other side of the swamp lands, his new snake skin shirt and matching boots fit nicely. From here they had to of gone through the caves that he had come through those years ago. It seemed like just yesterday that he had been with them, that he had looked into Tashia's eyes. His thoughts were broken when he came across quite the scene. One of the giant snakes, impaled onto a tree. "Now who could have done that?" he asked himself out loud. He felt the sword strapped to his back vibrate slightly, resonating a soft energy. Somehow, he felt he had his answer. Just then he saw two people exit the cave entrance in the distance. He recognized the two suits immediately. In all the time he had been away from Midgar, they hadn't changed at all. He walked casually towards them, passing by them. As he passed, one of them, a short blond woman, stopped.

"Wait a minute, I recognize you. Who are you?" She demanded. Shadow stopped in his tracks, a smirk spreading across his face. He turned to face the woman.

"I'm just a traveler, nothing more." He said, turning and continuing towards the entrance.

"Wait just a minute." the woman started to say, but her companion, a tall bald man, placed his hand on her shoulder. The man shook his head when the woman looked at him. "but I swear he's one of the men in the data base of Shinra's wanted. He may have even been a special target." The bald man just shook his head again. The woman didn't respond, but instead started to go after Shadow. The bald man grabbed the back of her collar, and began dragging her back in the direction of Midgar. "Come on Rude, I know it was him." The woman protested as she kicked in an attempt to free herself.

==##==

Shadow made his way through the dark cavern, following a set of faint footprints. As he neared the exit of the caves, he stopped. He had heard the sounds of shuffling and scurrying since he entered the cave. It actually seemed to be following him. He stood in silence for a moment, listening to his surroundings Sure enough, he heard what he was listening for. The soft sound of someone breathing. In a flash, he moved, using Masamune to cut through a rock that lay between him and his target. He lifted the blade to strike, but stopped upon recognizing who it was.

"You." Shadow said in surprise.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"Don't hit me!" the man cried, curling up into a ball. Shadow kept Masamune ready to strike, he stared at the sad, deformed man before him.

"Ferret, I'm sure you understand my shock and disappointment to find you still living." Shadow said coldly. "I'll make sure to finish you this time."

"wait wait wait! Listen, I know where you need to go." He cried, making a sad attempt to shield himself with his hands.

"Really now? You don't even know what I'm looking for."

"The girl, that sweet little girl you were with when we jumped you." He said. Shadow lowered the sword, but was still ready to attack. "Ha, I knew it, I saw them. Her and that sad excuse for a travel party she was with. It was odd, they had a talking dog with them."

"Just tell me where they went!" Shadow snapped.

Ferret jumped. "Yeah, right right. They were talking, they mentioned that old general from the Wutai war, the one that went missing."

"Ferret, I'm not going into details, but I suggest you tell me a little more than that." Shadow said. He could only assume it had happened after he had gone into the coma.

"Sephiroth. The crazy fools think they're following Sephiroth."

This came as a shock to Shadow. Sephiroth had gone missing? What was he doing in the Shinra building? Well, he still was confused, but at least the murder of the president at his hands seemed to make a little more sense now. "Where are they going Ferret."

"Didn't say."

In a flash, the blade of Masamune was at Ferret's throat.

"Junon, they're going to Junon." Ferret croaked quickly, his eyes darting back and forth between the sword and Shadow.

"Thank you, now was that so hard?"

Ferret shook his head. "It's not that easy, Shinra has more control over Junon that they do anywhere else, even Midgar. I over heard your girl have a run in with the Turks. Your sister is apparently wanted by Shinra, and my bets are they'll catch her in Junon."

"Then I'd better hurry shouldn't I?" Shadow mocked. "However, I'll be kind to you for this information. Don't let me ever see you again, or else I'll finish the job." as he said this, his eyes showed Ferret that he meant it. Ferret immediately took off running back towards the cave that lead to Midgar. Shadow turned, being caught off guard by the person that had moved silently behind him. In seconds, Masamune clattered to the ground. Shadow found himself pushed against the wall.

"Are you done with this foolishness?" Markus demanded. Shadow struggled, trying to get loose from his grip. "No more games, you're coming with me. We must head to the site now. If we don't activate it now, it'll be too late."

"Do whatever it is yourself, I have more important things to tend to."

"Don't you understand? Do you not see what is to happen? This isn't your time to be the hero."

"What are you talking about?" Shadow demanded.

Markus released Shadow, and took a step back. "If you won't listen to reason, then I'll just have to let you suffer through your choices." With this, he turned, walking towards the exit of the cave. "And loose the damn sword." He added as he disappeared into the light of the outside world.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Shadow arrived in Junon in the late afternoon. The streets where quiet, but he could smell in the air, that something had happened earlier that day. He moved throughout the town, finding no traces of the people he was searching for.

"Could he of mislead me?" Shadow wondered aloud. After all, it was Ferret he was talking about. He closed his eyes, concentrating hard. This was the first time he had willed himself to see. He saw a boat arriving in Costa Del Sol, despite it's hardships during it's voyage. He could not see Aerith, but he clearly saw one of her companions. His eyes flew open. "What!" he said, enraged. He kicked a nearby waste bin, sending it flying into the ocean. Strife! That god damned bastard was with Aerith? He felt the rage surge through him. They expected to defeat Sephiroth by following a man that hadn't even lasted a month in the SOLDIER training facility? He stormed into the harbor, looking from ship to ship looking for a ferry to take him across the sea. As he approached a ship, he was stopped by a gruff looking sailor.

"Private ship pretty boy." the man growled.

Shadow felt as if something was coming over him. "You sure about that?" He asked, his voice low and deadly.

The man laughed. "Well I'll be damned. The pretty boy has the stones to threaten me." He patted a club strapped to his belt. "Don't make me whip you and send you home to your mommy and daddy."

Shadow smiled. In a flash, the club was gone from the sailors belt. He reached for it desperately, finding it gone. Shadow slammed the weapon hard against the sailor's face, sending him splashing into the water. There were angry yells from the ship, a group of men started coming down the planks that lead to the ship. Shadow threw the club, hitting one of the men square in the jaw. It knocked him down, the man behind him tripped over him. The other three jumped over them, and ran at Shadow. Shadow quickly drew Masamune. The men stopped dead in their tracks.

"You're going to take me to Costa Del Sol." Shadow said matter of factly.

The stunned Sailors quickly nodded, standing their looking at Shadow.

"Well? Shouldn't you be getting ready to set sail?" Shadow asked.

The men quickly jumped into action, running back to the ship, the men who had fallen on the planks quickly followed them. Shadow looked down at the man in the water.

"You can stay here." Shadow told him, walking away towards the ship.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Shadow stood on the deck of the ship, he could see the shore in the distance. His thoughts drifted through his memories with Aerith. He suddenly felt a presence behind, and quickly turned around. Standing before him, a young man stood before him. He had long black hair and, Shadow could tell from the color, MAKO enhanced eyes. He wore a tattered SOLDIER uniform, but some how Shadow sensed that he was no longer part of the group. The was a peaceful aura that seemed to radiate from him. He walked up next to Shadow, leaning against the railing. Shadow figured he must have been a stowaway and turned back towards the approaching shore. After a moment of silence, the man spoke.

"She still thinks of you, you know." he said softly.

"Excuse me?" Shadow asked, confused.

The man turned to face him, keeping his body leaned against the railing. "Her, you know who I mean. The one you were thinking about."

Shadow quickly turned away. "I wasn't thinking of anyone." He lied.

"If you want to see her, you'd better hurry." He heard the man say behind him.

Shadow spun around. "Listen, I don't know..." he found himself standing alone. "What the hell was..."

"Sir!" one of the sailors interrupted. We've started the docking procedure. Any further orders?" Shadow could sense the Sailors nervousness.

"From now on, you make birth at Costa Del Sol, I may return one day to request further transport."

"Yes sir." The sailor quickly responded.

"I'll make myself clear, if I return to find this ship has moved on, I'll hunt it down and sink it, with all aboard."

He could hear the man swallow nervously. "Yes sir." He stuttered.

"OK, see to the docking at once."

The man spun on his heal, and returned to seeing to the docking of the ship. Shadow turned back to look at the coast as the ship prepared to dock.

==##==

The Coastal town had no interest in him. He knew the Aerith hadn't stopped there long, and he would be giving them more ground if he wasted time there. There was only one path that lead to the next town, and Shadow hurried along it, cutting through the mountainous area. He was moving quickly along the train tracks that had merged with the path, he stopped when he saw someone in the distance. It was them, he had caught up with her finally. He still had a few twists and turns to catch them, but his spirit was lifted by seeing them. Just as he was about to start walking again, he felt a presence nearby. He jumped back quickly as the explosion shook the tracks. The spot Shadow had been standing was now engulfed by flames. Shadow heard a voice on the mountain ledge above and to his left.

"Now I can't believe this." it said. Shadow turned his head, staring up at the man above him.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"When I saw Ferret running through the planes below me, I couldn't help but drop in on my old ally. You'll never believe the story he told me."

"Fang" Shadow growled through gritted teeth.

"Shadow's still alive, he's become so strong." Fang said, mocking Ferret's voice. "Well, obviously I don't care for lies, seeing as I've gathered a lot of influence in my... trade. Ferret was so weak, he couldn't even put up a decent fight. However, I added his tooth to my chain." As he said this, he lifted a chain from below his shirt. It was spotted with teeth hanging from it. "He's the first person I've gotten from the old gang, however I have a feeling one will be added to it soon." He smirked, showing of his white teeth from which he had gotten his name.

"Fang, as much as I'd enjoy killing you, I really am busy right now. Can we reschedule?" Shadow said, his voice had a mocking tone in it.

Fang began slipping off his over coat. "My chopper is waiting, so I'll make it quick. However, your plans will unfortunately go uncompleted."

"Then get your ass down here so I can kill you." Shadow snapped at him.

Fang jumped down to the tracks where Shadow stood, landing some ten feet from where he stood. Without a word, Fang lunged at him. Shadow stepped to the side as Fang flew past him. Fang quickly stopped, shooting his elbow back. Shadow was caught off guard, and took the elbow underneath the chin. He stumbled back against the edge of the track. Shadow ducked as Fang kicked at his head, causing him to miss. Shadow grabbed Fang's leg, and lifted it high, causing Fang to fall onto his back. It turned out that this was a mistake. Fang began kicking wildly, rolling back and forth along the tracks, striking out with all limbs of his body. Shadow could barely stay ahead of the wild fighting. Finally, Shadow drew Masamune. He swung at the man on the ground, but missed as the man rolled backward, landing on his feet, he stood up.

"Bout time you drew your weapon." He said, reaching for a long knife strapped to his leg. The blade smoothly slid out of the sheath. Fang sped at Shadow, who parried the attack with his sword. Despite his weapons strength, and length, Shadow found himself on the defensive. No sooner had Fangs knife met the resistance of Shadow's sword, than his knife was coming from another angle. Shadow parried fiercely, but he was unable to match his opponents speed. Finally, Shadow jumped back, causing Fang to stop his onslaught.

"That was pretty good, Fang." Shadow complimented.

"Enough talk, you die here and now."

"Very well, I see you continue to aim to kill me. Do you mind if I start fighting back?" Shadow asked, sincerely.

Fang's eyes went wide, in his shock, he almost dropped his knife. In a flash, Shadow as in front of him. Fang jumped back, fearing attack, just as Shadow had intended him to. His foot landed on the weakened board of the tracks, and it cracked. Fang fell through the floor and out of site. Shadow suddenly heard a roar of engines. He watched as the Helicopter raised into view on the cliff, and quickly flew over top of him. It started to quickly descend on the other side of him. Shadow watched as the helicopter plunged out of site. The sound of the engine faded away. Shadow turned back in the direction he had seen Aerith's party, Sure enough, they were no longer in sight.

"Fuck." Shadow sighed. He knew that it wouldn't be that easy to catch them. He started continuing on, when the roar of the Helicopter's engine returned. He turned back just as it rose above the tracks. Fang sat in copilot seat.

"I'm not weak like Ferret!" Fang yelled, enraged.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The bright white light blinded Shadow, he quickly covered his eyes. The heat of the sun vanished as the light enveloped him. He finally took his hands away from his eyes and started looking around him. The whiteness stretched as far as he could see, but the ground was an elaborate field, full of flowers.

"I can understand your confusion." A voice said behind him. Shadow quickly turned towards it, finding Markus standing a few feet away from him. He had traded his tattered rags for a long white coat. Shadow raised Masamune, pointing the tip of the blade at Markus.

"No reason to be on guard, brother. You're quite safe in this place." Markus continued.

"You've followed me." Shadow said, but even as he spoke these words, he felt that he was incorrect.

"No, I remain in Kalm. In our family's house, where father's equipment is."

"What is this place?" Shadow demanded.

"You think this is a location?"

"Well, yeah. I'm standing here aren't I?"

"No, you're standing on an old, burning, train track."

"What are you talking about? I'm right here in this field!" Shadow yelled, he was starting to loose his patience. He didn't know what Markus was playing at, but he would soon find out what the hell was going on.

"If you'd listen to me for just one minute, I'd explain." Markus reasoned. Shadow started to open his mouth to speak, but shut it. Looking pleased, Markus continued, but it wasn't his voice Shadow heard.

==##==

"Die!" Shadow heard Fang yell as the cloudy mountains, and old train returned to his vision. Shadow lept to the side as the missile launched from the helicopter. It blew the section of tracks Shadow had been standing on to pieces. Shadow climbed to his feet on top of the unsteady rail.

Fang, maddened by rage, sat wide eyed in his seat. He turned to his pilot angrily. "Crash the chopper into him!" He ordered.

"What?" The pilot asked, unsure he had heard correctly.

"Chop him up with the blades! Fly into him!" Fang demanded.

"You're crazy sir." The pilot tried to argue.

Shadow watched as Fang threw the pilot out of the chopper. Fang then grabbed the stick in front of him. "I won't be beaten by you!" He yelled, pushing the stick forward. The chopper leaned forward, starting to fly straight at Shadow. Shadow quickly lifted Masamune, staring Fang straight in the eyes as the Chopper neared him.

"I told you that you'd pay, you thief!" Fang screamed madly. When the chopper pulled into distance, Shadow struck. He swung the sword into the blades. He was glad he had not overestimated his weapon. The blade cut neatly through the chopper blades, causing the chopper to start falling. The forward motion of the chopper brought it crashing into the supports under where Shadow was standing. Shadow placed the sword back on his back, and turned towards the gap that had been blown open by the missile. Suddenly, the damaged supports gave way. Shadow began to fall.

"Hold on!" He heard a female voice yell. He looked up as he fell, he saw a figured jumping after him. A rope tied to their feet. The Rope was pulled taught, and the person started to arch. They collided with Shadow, pushing him into the wall, causing him to smash his head against the wall. The world immediately went black as the force knocked him unconscious.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The woman stood over Shadow, as he lay unconscious is the tent that she and her team had constructed near the site of the accident. Her black hair was now to her waste. Her black silk robes replaced by the crude leather armor that she and her group of mercenaries were outfitted in. Her long time companion, a gargantuan man, stood beside her. He had hardly changed over the years, except for the invasion of grey that had started to invade his hair. He too was outfitted in the leather armor. Outside, there was a low constant noise that was her men moving about, playing cards with each other, readying their night meals, and constructing their camp for the night.

"Go check on the camp." The woman said, her voice now had a tone of authority that she had been missing all those years ago.

"Are you sure?" Her companion asked.

"Yes, go enjoy yourself for the night. I'll see you tomorrow." She answered.

The man bowed, and turned, exiting the tent. The woman took a step towards Shadow, who was still unconscious. She gently ran her hand down the side of his face, tracing that huge scar that now was there. She knew that he had incredible vitality, and that he healed almost instantaneously, but that fact that it had left a scar was incredible. She didn't even recognize him at first, somehow he had removed the MAKO from his bloodstream, getting rid of the glowing lines that had plagued him last time she had seen him. She sank down to her knees, laying her head upon his chest.

"Why didn't you ever come?" she asked in a whisper, knowing that he couldn't answer her. "I waited for you so long, and still you never came." As she said this, a tear flowed down her face. "I had to come look for you, I couldn't just stay in Midgar any longer, waiting for you to come find me. So I came to find you. I'll be here when you finally wake up.

==##==

Half the world away, Markus searched frantically through the papers scattered around the library of the old house.

"Where are you, where are you." Markus chanted frantically as he rifled through the papers. "Where did he put you?"

"Looking for something, Markus?" Came a voice from the doorway. Markus froze when he heard the voice. He slowly stood up, pulling his gloves off slowly. The room became illuminated by the glow of his hands. Slowly, Markus turned to face the man in the doorway.

"I... I wasn't expecting you." Markus said.

"Of course you weren't." the man said as he stepped forward. His short black hair contrasted with his grey eyes. "After all, as far as you knew, I was dead."

"I swear, if I had known you were still alive..."

"You would of advised them to keep me under armed guard, under lock and key, never to see the sun again." The man cut in. His voice was calm, but the rage was obvious in it.

Markus looked around the room, and spotting what he needed at this point. "Yeah I would have!" Markus yelled, as he bolted for the second floor window. The man watched amused as Markus lept through the window, shattering the glass. He limped off towards the exit of Kalm. The man stood in the doorway, his eyes closed in irritation.

==##==

Out side the town, Markus desperately ran through the night sky. "I've got to find Shadow." He said to himself. "Only he can help me defeat him." He was in such a panic, such a rush, he didn't even notice the man slowly following him, walking at a leisure pace.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The sun sat high in the sky, beating down on the Corel area. The make shift army moved along the planes. In one of the wagons, Shadow lay in the back surrounded by blankets. The driver of the wagon took things very carefully. He knew that if he screwed up, the captain would tear him apart, and that was only until the commander got to him. Still, he enjoyed the special duty of transporting the injured man. There were whispers going around camp of who he was. Some said that he was an old lover of the Commander, others claimed he was an old SOLDIER veteran. When they asked, Captain Halberd, who insisted Hal, responded. "Remember vhen ve vizited the Nibelheim area, and they told uz the ztory of the demon of the mountains? He'z that."

Obviously the captain was fooling around when he said that. Who actually believed these old myths that were common place in the towns around the planet. They were north, and they heard a story about ancient weapons that were locked in time. In the excavation site of Bone Village, they had heard about an ancient Village in the center of the forest.

Finally, the caravan arrived at the city of Corel. He tied the reins into place and cracked open his copy of Loveless. Just then, a group of mercs walked past him.

"Sythe, We're going into town to get some supplies, wanna come?" One of them asked.

"No, I have to watch over sleeping beauty." Sythe joked, not taking his eyes off of loveless.

"Yeah, sucks to be you. We'll get you a T-shirt." The merc joked as he went to catch up with the rest of the group. Sythe was left in silence for a moment, when a voice made him jump.

"Sleeping beauty huh?"

Sythe jumped about a foot, and quickly turned towards the bed of the wagon. Sure enough, he found a pair of eyes watching him intently.

"Oh my god, you're awake. I have to go get the commander." Sythe said, closing his book.

"Now, now, no need to rush. I have no interest in your commander. I'm just going to get out of here."

"But, we saved you. You at least owe us the courtesy of meeting with our leader." Sythe protested.

"Kid, you have no idea that this is the real world. I didn't ask you all to save me."

"You would of died!" Sythe said, his patience thinning.

Shadow laughed. "No, I wouldn't have. Even if I would of, would death really be so bad?"

"What? Did that bump to your head knock ya loose? Whatever, I'm going to find the Captain or the Commander, you'd better be here when I get back." Sythe said, jumping off the wagon, and rushing away.

"Well, that bluff didn't work." Shadow said aloud, unable to move his limbs yet. He was sure he wasn't paralyzed, just sore.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Inside of the city of Corel, a group of mercs that were part of Tashia's army came across Aerith. Aerith was alone, returning to the group's room from the small shop that was set up.

"Hey baby." One of the men said, winking at her. Aerith ignored him, trying to walk past the three men. One of them grabbed her arm roughly. "How much for a night with you lovely." He said, making a crude gesture. Aerith yanked her arm away roughly.

"I think you're mistaken, I'm not one of those type of people." She explained, trying to remain civil.

"You will be." Said another one. He grabbed her again, trying to grope at her with his other hand.

"Hey! Let her go!" Commanded a voice. The mercs turned toward the owner of the voice. Sythe stood a few feet away from the scene.

"Go back to your lover, you rookie!" One of the men spat. "And by lover, I mean your hand."

"You know the Commander won't stand for any criminal actions." Sythe said, ignoring the insult.

"Commander isn't here sonny." The same man said, It made it clear to Sythe who was in charge.

"But I am, and I won't stand for the mistreatment of a woman either." Sythe said.

The main man tossed Aerith away roughly, sending her to the ground. "Then we'll teach you to mind your own business boy." he said.

Before Sythe was ready, all three men rushed him. The leader caught him by surprise, sending a punch to his gut. Sythe doubled over in pain. The other two men seized his arms. The leader lifted Sythe's head. "Boy, I hope your little girlfriend was worth it." He said, back handing Sythe's face. Sythe struggled to get free, but to no avail. "This should take some fight our of you." the lead man said, sending a kick up in between Sythe's legs. The breath shot out of his lungs, and he went limp. The only thing holding up was the man's two cronies. The leader pulled a knife out of his belt. "I'm going to make you a girl." He said, holding the knife maliciously. He started laughing, along with the other two.

"Hold on just a second!" Came a voice behind them. The leader of the men turned around quickly. "C... Commander!" He cried in shock.

Tashia glared at the three men, the two who had let go of Sythe. "Get out of here before I make you hurt, you're not welcome in my camp anymore."

The lead man stepped forward. "Bitch! We're the best men you's got."

"I don't have any men like you, get out of here before I kill you." Tashia retorted.

"Bitch, there's three of us, and only one of you. You don't want to fight us."

The man started forward, but was caught short as Sythe managed to gather his strength, and send a blow straight into the man standing in between him and the Commander. The man fell to the ground, clutching his groin.

"Get out of here!" Sythe said fiercely, causing the other two men to flee into the streets of Corel. As soon as they were out of sight, Sythe kneeled down. He struggle to catch his breath, after the abuse done to him. He watched as Tashia walked up to man writhing on the ground, and kicked him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

"Are you OK?" She asked Scythe. She took his arm, and helped him climb to his feet.

"I came to find you." Scythe explained. "I found them abusing some woman." he stopped, and looked around. She was gone. "But anyway, The guy that you picked up has woken up."

Tashia's eyes flew open. She pushed Sythe out of the way, running full speed back to camp. Scythe quickly started running after her.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Shadow lay in the back of the wagon, he had managed to get his arms to work, but his legs were still unresponsive. He heard hurried footsteps approaching the wagon.

"Oh my god, Shadow?" He heard a voice say. He lifted himself up into a sitting position, looking over the side of the wagon. He froze when he saw her. She ran over to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Tashia? What are you doing here?" He asked, confused.

"This is my camp, I'm the Commander." She said, her excitement was obvious in her voice. Shadow felt something deep inside him, he was happy to see her.

"Tashia..." He started, not quite sure what to say. "I'm sorry I never came for you."

Tashia let him go. "Why didn't you come though? I waited for you like you told me to."

"I was put into a coma, I just woke up a month ago."

"And you came to find me?" She asked. Before Shadow had a chance to reply, she threw her arms around him again. "That's really romantic."

Shadow couldn't bring himself to explain that it was Aerith, and not her, that had brought him to this point. He just let her hold him for awhile, before finally pulling away.

"So, are you gonna join us again?" Tashia asked.

Shadow pulled himself to his feet. He noticed the crowd that had gathered around them. He looked at Tashia. "Our paths go separate ways." He said, he immediately noticed the change in Tashia's expression. "I will join you, but not right now." He placed his hands on her shoulders. She looked down at the ground in between them.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Shadow could hear her sadness.

"I have something I need to do, and so do you. You need to go back to Midgar. Ariel is there, and she needs you."

"But I need you!" She snapped. "I know it's not your fault, but you were gone for so long. I need you."

"It can't be like the way it was before Tashia! There's more to life than just me and you. There are things you just don't understand."

Shadow watched Tashia intently, staring into her eyes. Finally, he saw realization come across her face, almost as if she had been slapped.

"You're in love with someone else aren't you?" She said, her voice barely above a whisper. The crowd was forgotten, for that moment only Shadow and Tashia stood there.

"It's not like that Tashia. When it comes to romantically being in love, you are the first and foremost person. With that said, I have to be there for the other person, before anyone else, I have to be there for her. We had been together since we were young, and it's time that I returned."

"Oh my god, you're Aerith's lost brother aren't you?"

Shadow was shocked by these words, he hadn't expected them.

"How do you..." He started, but Tashia cut him off.

"I met her in Midgar, at the church you sent me to. She told me all about you, and I talked about you too. I never realized that it could have been the same person."

"I'm going after her." Shadow said, his tone didn't leave any room for argument.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Shadow moved along the planes, heading for the next town he knew of, Cosmo Canyon. He had lived near there for a few days back when he first fled Midgar. Now he was approaching the entrance to the canyons. He was nervous, he hadn't been able to catch any sign that Aerith had come this way. His trail had gone cold.

"Damn Fang!" he cursed aloud. He fell to his knees beneath the sunset. He shook in anger. If it wouldn't of been for Fang, for the accident, he would of caught up to them easily. Now he was lost, unsure of where to go. He had seen the great golden tower, but as he approached it he found himself at the edge of a huge Desert. He knew there was no way he'd be able to make it to it, and assumed that there would be no way that Aerith's group could of made it. Could he of been wrong? He closed his eyes, concentrating hard on Aerith. He didn't see anything though. Why could he no longer see visions? He didn't know, but he would have to ask Markus if he ever saw him again.

"Giving up already?" Came a voice behind him. Shadow spun, shocked to see Sythe approaching him. Next to him, stood Tashia.

"What are you doing here?" Shadow asked angrily, climbing to his feet. "I thought we agreed that you'd return to Midgar."

"Hal can handle that situation. I wanted to help you, so with Sythe's help, I managed to track you down. He can track anything you see."

Shadow gritted his teeth. He wanted to yell at her, and force her to go to Midgar, but he couldn't deny that he could use Sythe's help right now. He closed his eyes. "OK, you can help." He sighed through his teeth.

"Good." Tashia said, smiling smugly. "Sythe, do your thing."

Sythe kneeled down, looking around the path. His hand combed the ground, searching for any sign of people. "Two days old." he finally said. "Male, medium sized."

"We're looking for a woman." Tashia said.

"She is traveling with a man that fits that description." Shadow said.

Sythe searched for a few more minutes. "No woman." He said standing up. "The guy was alone. She may have been in a wagon, or a buggy. I did find a few Chocobo tracks, but none of them had riders."

Shadow stared at him. "How can you tell all this?"

"Foot prints, their depth compared to their size and shape." he explained. "Your girl hasn't come this way yet otherwise. The newest tracks are the male's."

Shadow stood silently for a moment, thinking. "The only thing I can think of doing is continuing on. We'll try following the tracks. She could have been riding something."

"He's carrying a child." Sythe added. "Or some equipment. From the depth of the foot prints, he's got near an extra sixty pounds."

"Whatever, let's just get going." Shadow said. He didn't want to admit he was impressed with the boy's tracking skill.

==##==

A few hours later, they were camped out at the mouth of the canyons. Tashia had gone to bed early, but Sythe and Shadow still sat by the fire as it softly crackled. They sat in silence for awhile, until Shadow finally broke the silence.

"So, where'd you learn to track?" He asked.

Sythe looked up. "SOLDIER, I was in it before I joined the commander. I was one of the first people to join. They found me outside of Kalm, half dead from an ambush on our caravan. I was the only survivor. Captain and her took me in, helped me regain my health. I've been with them ever since. They've offered to promote me, but I prefer the life of a..." He was cut off by Shadow.

"I didn't ask for your life story." He said curtly. "But I'm guessing if you trained for SOLDIER, you were taught by Hewley."

"Hewley? Have you been under a rock for the past few years?" Shadow was forced to suppress a laugh. "Hewley disappeared along with Rhapsodos. It lead to the great desertion after it had happened. Even Sephiroth left eventually."

Shadow was shocked by the news. He stared into the dark night for a moment.

"So, since we're asking you questions, does that mean I get to ask you mine?" Sythe asked him.

"I'll give you one." Shadow said. "After all, it's fair."

"Well, I have quite a few." Sythe said.

"One." Shadow repeated.

"Is it true you fought a Behemoth to protect the commander?"

"I fought a Behemoth because there was a Behemoth to fight, Tashia had nothing to do with it." Shadow lied.

Sythe nodded. Shadow could see amusement in the boy's eyes.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Shadow awoke just as the sun was starting to rise. He looked around, finding Sythe and Tashia still asleep. He kicked out the fire, and walked to a nearby tree to perform his business. When he reached the tree, he heard the sound of rock against rock. He turned towards the sound, seeing someone on top of the canyon wall.

"What the hell?" he murmured, and then he saw the rifle in their hands. It was aimed at the camp. Quickly, Shadow picked a fallen branch up off that ground, and threw it as hard as he could. Forty feet away, a few seconds later, the stick struck the person, causing him to twist away, firing his shot into the air. Shadow charged toward the figure fulls speed. The figure saw him, and turned to flee.

"What's going on?" Sythe asked as Shadow sped past the camp. Shadow lept into the air, slamming into the side of the canyon wall, about halfway up. He pulled himself up to the top of it. The figure shot again, from the edge of a forest on top of the plateau. The bullet glanced off the side of Shadows head. Shadow charged again, and once again, the figure fled into the forest. Shadow followed him into it. He tore his way through the vines and plants, until finally reaching a clearing. Shadow looked around the clearing, looking for the attacker.

"Where are you?" Shadow said quietly.

The grenade landed at his feet. In a flash, the explosion threw Shadow backwards into a tree. A man jumped through the flames, stomping down on the tree. Shadow barely managed to move his head out of the way. The man kept attacking wildly with punched and kicks, using a way of fighting the Shadow could not match. Shadow felt a kick land on the side of his head, and then another in the small of his back, causing him to stumble forward. Finally, he managed to grab the man's arm. Shadow snapped it, causing the man to let out a yell of pain. He felt another kick to his back, this one landing in between his shoulder blades. He stumbled forward, turning around. He saw a woman about the same age of the man. They moved to stand next to each other, staring at him.

"Now this I can't believe." Came a females voice behind them. Shadow looked up into a tree. Standing on it was Mantis. "How is it I manage to come across a little thief from the past?"

"Fang said something of the same before I killed him." Shadow spat. "As did Ferret before I stabbed him in the skull."

"Well, we both know that Fang wasn't the best fighter, and Ferret was a joke. Make no mistake, Shadow, you're going to die in the this forest. It's three on one."

"No it's not." Came a voice from the woods. Sythe and Tashia appeared through the brush.

"Who the hell are you?" Mantis demanded.

"Oh, sorry. How rude." Sythe said, he mocked the apology. "I'm Sythe, and she's...

"Going to kick your ass." Tashia said, running at the tree Mantis stood upon. In a flash, the female fighter cut her off, kicking her in the gut. Then the fighter spun, landing a kick solidly on the Tashia's chin. Sythe moved to help her, but was cut off by the male. Seeing that Mantis was distracted by the fight, Shadow saw his chance. He jumped, flying through the air and crashing into Mantis. They both fell into the thick bush, Mantis desperately clawing and striking at Shadows face.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Sythe pushed himself off the ground as the man did a spinning sweep. Sythe quickly climbed to his feet, just as another kick was thrown at him. He grabbed the man's foot and twisted, putting the man on his back. The man kicked himself up.

"I'm the right claw for a reason." He said, running at Sythe. Sythe dodged to the side, the punch glancing off of him. He countered by lifting his knee into his opponent's gut. He repeated again, and again. The fourth attempt was caught, and the man tripped his other leg, sending him to the ground. He lept into the air, bringing his fist down hard on Sythe's chest. Sythe struggled to breath as the wind was knocked out of him. The man drew a short dirk from his belt, and straddled Sythe. "Pathetic." He spat, raising the dirk of his head. Sythe kicked upwards, landing his foot in between his opponent's legs. The man whimpered, grasping is groin. He dropped the dirk, which buried itself into Sythe's leg. Leg groaned, but other than that he ignored the pain. He climbed to his leg, pulling the dirk out of his leg. The man, pulled a knife out of his belt, and put his guard up. Sythe slashed at him, but was easily deflected. Sythe slowly circled the man, a smile on his face.

"I haven't had a fight this good in a long time." Sythe said.

"It'll be your last." the man said, thrusting the knife at him. Sythe spun, and stabbed the dirk down into the man's foot. The man howled in pain, but still managed to bring the knife down into Sythe's shoulder. Sythe quickly rolled away, knife still in his shoulder. The man reached down, and pulled the dirk from his foot. Sythe pulled the knife from his shoulder.

==##==

Tashia kicked and clawed at her opponent, but couldn't manage to get a hold of her. The woman spun and rolled, easily dodging Tashia's attacks. Finally, Tashia drew the dagger she had kept on her at the insistence of Hal. Even thrusting and swiping the dagger, she could not manage to hit her target. The woman finally swept her off her feet, and got on top of her. She forced the dagger's blade downwards. Tashia struggled as the blade got closer and closer to her chest. She fought the blade with all her strength, but she was worn out by the offense she had already attempted, and now had nothing left for her defense. She felt the blade press against her left breast. She fought hard, putting all her strength into pushing the blade back. The woman on top of her was grinning maliciously. Tashia managed to push the blade back up an inch, but was quickly over powered again, and the knife went back down and slowly started to penetrate her flesh. Tashia groaned in pain, but didn't give up the fight.

"Sythe!" She screamed desperately. "Shadow!"

==##==

"Sythe! Shadow!"

Sythe looked in the direction of the scream, then looked back at his opponent. Both he and his opponent were covered in cuts and scrapes.

"It was fun, but that's my cue to get out of here." Sythe said. The man started towards him, but in a flash, Sythe had drew his pistol and fire a shot in between the man's eyes. He then went running off in the direction of Tashia's scream.

==##==

Tashia continued to fight back, trying desperately to push the blade away from her body. Just when she thought she was done, a gunshot exploded and the woman went stiff. She fell off of Tashia, landing in some heavy undergrowth on the forest floor. Tashia looked up to see Sythe standing there.

"Are you OK?" he asked, rushing to her side.

"Yeah." Tashia groaned as she pulled the dagger out of her chest. "You saved my life though."

"Where's Shadow?" Sythe asked.

"I don't know."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Shadow bashed his fists against Mantis's face, actually using so much force that her head was pressed partially into the ground. He repeated the attack, pushing it further into the ground. Her face was a bloody mess. He climbed to his feet, pulling Masamune from his back. He positioned it over Mantis's head, and stabbed downwards. Mantis's unconscious body made no attempt to prevent her death. Shadow pulled the blade back out, and replaced it on his back. He turned towards the hill they had rolled down.

"Doesn't look like I'm getting back up that way." He said.

"You could." Came a voice behind him. Shadow spun around.

"Not you again." he said, sighing.

Markus stood before him. "I don't have time for this, he's close."

"Who's close?" Shadow asked, noting Markus's concerned expression.

"Father's killer." Markus answered. "He's after me. I can't kill him alone, but with you we can do it."

"For the last time, you're not my brother." Shadow said.

"Yeah, OK, fine, but I really need your help." Markus said.

"Yeah... No, I don't think so." Shadow said, turning to walk away.

"You can't leave me here!" Markus yelled.

Shadow ignored these words, as he disappeared into the thick forest. He heard Markus's screams of desperation, but they soon faded away as Shadow increased the distance between them.

==##==

Tashia and Sythe walked through the forest, searching for any sign of Shadow. Sythe had been lucky enough to find his trail, but they had lost it. More correctly, it had vanished. Sythe knew from the signs, that Shadow didn't want to be followed, but he didn't want to tell Tashia that. Trails weren't the only thing Sythe could see, he knew Tashia would be torn apart emotionally if she knew that Shadow had abandoned her once again. He concentrated harder than he had ever done before, and by luck, he came across a trail.

"It looks like it's could be Shadow's" He said. "It fits his build."

They followed the trail, and came across an opening in the forest. In the center of the clearing, there was a fire.

"We've found him." Tashia said, excitement in her voice.

Sythe looked around the clearing, he saw a few burned tree trunks, and piles of dead plants. "I don't think so Tashia, I don't think Shadow would do this."

"If it's not his, then who's is it?" Tashia asked.

"Mine." Came a voice behind them.

Sythe grabbed for his pistol, but the man behind them was faster. He grabbed the pistol with one hand, and Sythe's head with the other. With a jerk, followed by a loud pop, Sythe fell to the ground. Tashia turned quickly, bringing her hand up to strike their attacker. Her fist was caught, the man smiled at her. He leaned in real close to her, his grey eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight that shown through the clearing. His short jet black hair heightened the effect.

"And who exactly are you?" He asked, his voice low, but intimidating.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Shadow sat on the edge of the Canyon, Markus stood over him, his hands against the side of Shadow's head.

"This scar is pretty bad, brother. The blow that caused it may of injured your mind."

"Thought we had a deal?" Shadow said.

"Right, sorry." Markus said. He had agreed to stop calling Shadow his brother, in return for being allowed to follow him. He was currently using his healing abilities to get rid of the scar, and fix what damage Shadow's mind had sustained. "This could of seriously screwed up your abilities."

Shadow though of how he hadn't been able to see where Aerith was, when he had concentrated on her. Perhaps Markus was right for once.

"Well, the physical damage is gone, and any problems you may have had with your..."

Shadow was overcome with a vision. He found himself standing in a place he had not seen before. It was dark, definitely inside. He stared at the vision in front of him. There was a man, dark black hair, and cold grey eyes. He held Tashia in his arms, from the looks of it, she was dead. He walked over to a slab, placing her gently onto it. He quickly looked around the room, he spotted Markus laying on the floor. His lifeless eyes told him that he too was dead. He turned back towards the man, and watched as he walked towards someone else. He watched as the man raised a knife in his hand. He recognized the other person. It was himself.

Shadow's eyes snapped open, he actually screamed as the realization of what he had just seen dawned on him.

"What's wrong?" Markus asked. "What'd you see?"

Shadow shook his head. "I don't know, but it can't be the future. I won't let it be the future."

Markus stared at Shadow. "What did you see?" He demanded.

"What's the guy look like? The one that's following you." Shadow asked.

"Tall. Black hair, and deadly eyes. Why?"

"Because we have to stop him before it's too late." Shadow said. "He's going to kill us."

Markus stared at him. "You saw this? You're sure that is what you saw?"

"Yes. I have to return to the forest, I have to find Tashia."

Shadow started to walk back in the direction of the forest.

"Wait wait wait!" Markus said, grabbing his arm. "Listen to me, he doesn't care about the girl."

"I know, which is why he'll kill her."

"No, listen to me. If she's with us, she dies, but if she's not there, not only will she not be killed with us, but we can concentrate on killing him, and not have to worry about protecting her."

Shadow though about what Markus was saying. He had a point.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"You carry on the way you would have without the vision. You can't focus on the future too much, or you ignore the present."

So, you think we should continue to look for Aerith?

Markus nodded. "Destiny is Destiny. Don't worry about the future, we'll do what was meant for us. Nothing more."


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Shadow walked on for weeks, making there way through the canyons, into the Nibelheim area. As they neared the town, Markus stopped him.

"We don't want to go there." He said.

"Why not? I spent some time in this area, and the town always seemed peaceful."

"A few years ago, while you were in stasis, there was an accident and the town burnt down. Shinra covered it up of course, they were responsible."

"They always are." Shadow said, looking at the peaceful town in the distance.

"Yeah, well. Sephiroth, the great general went insane. He destroyed the entire town, killing everyone. There wasn't any survivors."

"So why didn't Shinra stop him? They could of at least captured him afterwards."

"Because they thought he was dead. He vanished soon after it had happened, though there are rumors that he's resurfaced."

"More than rumors, he's part of the reason I'm where I am now. Aerith is trying to chase him down or something, I don't know the details."

"Well, either way, we should go around the town, through the mountains. It's too dangerous to go through it."

"Well, then let's get going." Shadow said, walking towards the right of the town. Markus looked at the town and smiled. He thought he may of even caught a glimpse of the girl Shadow sought so badly as she moved through the town.

"Come on!" Shadow insisted. Markus quickly went to catch up to him.

==##==

They made their way through the mountains, Shadow moved at such a quick pace in the rough terrain that Markus had a hard time keeping up. Twice, he had slipped and began to tumble down the steep incline. Luckily Shadow had managed to catch him twice.

"Don't slip again." Shadow warned the second time.

Markus had to make a conscious effort, but managed to stay on his feet. Finally, they reached the other side of the mountains, emerging onto the plains.

"Well, there is a town ahead, but if they're not their, I have no idea where to look." Shadow admitted.

"Why don't you look into yourself to find her?" Markus asked.

Shadow hadn't really thought about doing that, ever since he had failed before. He closed his eyes, concentrating on Aerith's face. He saw her, clear as day. She was in fact in Rocket town.

Shadow opened his eyes. "come on!" he said, running in the direction of Rocket town. Markus took off after him, struggling to keep up with Shadow's pace.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Shadow arrived at Rocket town, looking around frantically. There was a small group of people gathered the the street, all talking at once.

"What's going on here?" Shadow demanded.

"The captain is arguing with Shinra. They want to take his plane." One of the men said. He pointed over to a house. Shadow looked around, but he didn't see Aerith. Suddenly, he heard a yell.

"They're trying to take the plane!"

Shadow quickly looked at the house. He stared in disbelief, there she was. On the plane, with the rest of her friends. He darted for the house. Upon reaching it, he kicked the door open. The woman inside gave a startled gasp, but Shadow ignored her. He ran through the house, bursting through the back door.

"Aerith!" He yelled over the planes engines. The plane was already moving forward, getting ready to take off. From her spot on the plane, she looked at Shadow. Her eyes flew open as she recognized him. Suddenly, the plane shot forward. Shadow stared as the plane started lifting into the air.

"Fire!" Rufus Shinra ordered. The Shinra guards complied, and began firing on the plane. One of the engines caught fire. Shadow dived at the guards, knocking one to the ground. He picked up the fallen one's gun, tearing it from his hands, and emptied it into the second guard. The final guard turned toward Shadow, getting ready fire. Shadow, using the gun as a club, slammed it into the guards face. A second blow finished the job. He turned back to the guard on the ground, who was trying to crawl away. Shadow grabbed him by the collar, and stood him up. The guard screamed in terror, as Shadow put both his hands in the guard's mouth, one of the top, one of the bottom. He pried the guards jaws apart, tearing the top of his head off. Blood sprayed everywhere, cover Shadow in the crimson liquid. He turned slowly to face Rufus and his fat friend.

"You." Rufus said quietly.

"Sir, I think that's the...

"I know!" Rufus snapped, cutting his fat friend off.

"Sir, perhaps now would be a good time to run." The fat man said, he didn't get a response. He turned towards his boss, but found the spot next to him empty. He turned around, seeing Rufus running towards their helicopter. The fat man bounded after him. Shadow stared, all humanity lost within him, only his animal instincts remaining. He bounded after the two men, crashing through the fence.

"Start the Chopper!" Rufus yelled, as he neared it.

"Sir! Wait for me!" the fat man begged. Shadow had almost caught him, when something bounded out from in between the houses. It crashed into Shadow, knocking him to the ground. In seconds, Markus was upon him, holding him down.

"Now is not the time brother!" Markus yelled, struggling to hold him down. Shadow kicked Markus off of him, and jumped to his feet. Markus came running back at him, but was met by the back of Shadow's hand. He flew several feet, crashing through the back of one of the houses. Shadow started running at helicopter again, which by this time had both it's occupants inside, and was lifting off. Shadow jumped for it, just missing it. The helicopter began flying off, away back towards Midgar. Shadow grabbed a child's swing set from one of the back yards, and hurled it at the helicopter. It barely miss it, crashing into the ground about a hundred feet away. Shadow stood there, breathing heavily. Finally, he saw Markus emerge from the hole he had crashed through. Shadow ran at him, enraged that because of him, the helicopter had escaped. Markus was ready for him, his glowing hand struck Shadow in the chest. Shadow froze in place, pain rippling through him. He was paralyzed. He slowly fell, crashing into the ground. He stared up at Markus, who stared at him concerned.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Shadow awoke four days later, laying in a bed. He looked around, not recognizing his surroundings. He sat up, he was alone. He heard clattering from the doorway. He threw the covers off of him, and climbed out of the bed. He staggered into the hallway, and went down it. He found himself in a kitchen, a woman was slaving over the stove.

"Where am I?" Shadow asked.

The woman didn't even look at him. "Finally awake are you? Well, that's good. That friend of yours said you took a nasty bump on your head. Sit down, I'll make you some breakfast."

Shadow say down at the table. "Where's Markus?" he asked.

"Went up to Bone Village, asked me to tell you to meet him up there."

"Thank you miss?" He said, not sure what to call her.

"Shera, just call me Shera."

"Thank you Shera, but I really should be going. Thank you for everything though."

"It's all right, after all from the sounds of things, you helped The Captain."

==##==

Shadow jumped from the boat, and began making his way towards the forest, and inside of it, Bone Village. His memories still hadn't returned yet, all he could remember was seeing Aerith, and then it all went black. He was beating himself up inside over missing her the way he had. He had been so close, and yet had just barely let her slip through his fingers.

"It's about time." He heard someone call out to him. He looked up, finding Markus waiting for him by the entrance to the forest.

"What the hell are we doing here?" Shadow asked.

"You don't remember? We agreed to come here after we found your girl."

"I never promised that." Shadow said. "I'm leaving."

"Shame Shadow, she's in there you know?"

"You're telling me that Aerith just so happens to be in this excavation site?"

"No, she's in Shell Village."

"What is Shell Village."

"Enough talk. I need you to get there."

"Why is that?"

"Because you can see through the Illusion of the forest."

"And how is that."

"It's your special ability. You can see things no one else can."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just come on, lead the way, trust me, you just can." Markus snapped. Shadow sensed something strange in his attitude.

"If it means finding Aerith, then fine." Shadow said, entering the forest.

==##==

A/N Well, that was short... Not to worry, the next chapter should make up for it. Not necessarily in length, but... well just trust me.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

After what seemed like hours, Shadow and Markus finally reached the road. The great city of the Cetra lay below them.

"It exists." Markus said, stepping forward. "So many years I've looked for this place, only to never find it." He turned to Shadow. "You are the one, the key. You helped me find it. I'm sure that it's here too. Where else could it ever be."

Shadow stared at Markus, like he had just gone mad. "Are you OK?" He asked, uncertain.

Markus seemed to snap out of his trance. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go find your girl, and then I'll find what I've been searching for. After that, we'll tie up the loose ends."

What does he mean by loose ends? Shadow asked himself. He was beginning to wonder exactly what he knew about this man that claimed to be his brother. He didn't have time to think, as the two began making their way down the path to the city. They followed the path up the center, finally reaching a cross road.

"We split up here." Markus said.

"What? Why?"

"You go find your reason, I'll find mine." He said, walking down the path to the right. Shadow watched him until he entered house, and then turned to follow the center path. He entered into some sort of Cavern, a building at one side of it, next to a lake. He walked of the building, entering it. He followed the stairs upwards, finding some sort of glowing stair case going upwards.

"Well, I came this far." He told himself. He carefully put his foot on the first step, shocked to find it help his weight. He started up the stairs, using less caution with each step. He finally reached the top of the staircase, emerging into a room. He looked around the room, and it dawned on him where he was.

"Oh god." he said out loud. He was in the room from his vision. The room Tashia and Markus died in. The room he had probably died in as well. He noticed a door at the end of it, a soft white light shining under it. He opened it, finding himself staring at Sephiroth. He was looking down through a hole in the floor.

"Sephiroth!" Shadow said, drawing Masamune. Sephiroth slowly turned towards him, eying the sword in his hands.

"Ah, thank you kindly for returning my sword." Sephiroth said. Suddenly, Shadow's hands released the sword, letting it fall and impale into the ground. Shadow's body followed his hands, lifting a few feet off of the ground.

"What?" Shadow said, shocked. "I don't remember hearing about this as one of your abilities."

Sephiroth didn't respond, but instead, walked up to the sword in the ground. He grabbed the hilt, pulling it out of the ground. Shadow watched helplessly, as Sephiroth raised Masamune to strike.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

The next events happened in a flash. Shadow fought to free himself from Sephiroth's grasp, and Sephiroth swung Masamune, aiming for Shadow. The door burst open, and Markus raced into the room. He pushed Shadow out of the way, and raised his hands. The blade struck them, stopping immediately as Markus struggled to hold the blade back. He lept back just as Sephiroth put more force behind his swing, the blade crashed into the floor, carving a chunk out of it. Markus rolled to the side as Sephiroth flipped the blade, and brought it back upwards. Shadow finally managed to break whatever spell Sephiroth had used, and charged him. He threw a punch, the collided with Sephiroth's face. Sephiroth stumbled away. He stopped right next to the hole in the floor, and looked down into it.

A vision flooded into Shadow's head. He watched as Sephiroth lept into the hole, and dropped down over the unsuspecting people below. He watched as Sephiroth impaled...

"No!" Shadow yelled, leaping towards Sephiroth. Markus grabbed him, holding him back.

"It's her time!" Markus yelled as Shadow struggled to get to Sephiroth, who had already jumped into the hole. Tears formed at Shadow's eyes, as he heard silence below them. Finally, he tore away from Markus and ran over to the hole. He stared down into it, at the scene below. "No." he whimpered softly, his tears flowing freely. Below him, Aerith was kneeling down. Behind her, Sephiroth stood with his sword impaled through her. His emotions began racing, anger, sorrow. He felt like he was having every emotion at once. Finally, rage settled in. But he didn't feel it towards Sephiroth however, he slowly turned, his rage filled eyes settling on Markus.

"You."

"Shadow, it was her time to die."

"You stopped me..."

"She had to die Shadow!"

"You killed her."

"She had to die!"

"Why!" Shadow said, wrapping his hands around Markus's neck. He began squeezing. Markus kicked him, and ran into the other room. Shadow raced after him. Markus turned just as Shadow reached him, Shadow's fist slammed into Markus's face, causing him to stumble back towards the stairs. He bumped into the person that was just emerging from the stairway.

Markus spun around, finding himself staring into a pair of cold, grey eyes. "oh god."

"Hello Markus." The man said, taking a few steps out of the staircase. Shadow watched as Tashia emerged behind him, as did Sythe.

"Listen Cyrus, you don't understand." Markus began.

"You worked for my father, and you betrayed him." The man interrupted. "You were a Shinra spy, trying to find the materia. When you thought my father was on to it's location, you went to Shinra. They came, they killed my father, my mother, even my little brother." Shadow watched as the man's eyes filled with tears, showing the only emotion so far. "He was only an infant, and because of you, he was killed ruthlessly."

"No I didn't!" Markus said, he sounded as if he had seen a glimpse of hope. "He's right here." Markus walked over to Shadow. "He's your brother."

"What are you talking about?" Shadow asked, angrily pushing Markus away.

"Enough!" Cyrus said, his voice echoing through the room. "Either way, first thing is first. I'm going to kill you Markus, whether that man is my brother or not, you still killed my parents."

"Fine, you leave me no choice!" Markus yelled. He shot for Cyrus, his hand glowing a crimson color. Cyrus quickly lept out of the way, and Markus's hand slammed against Tashia's chest. Shadow watched in horror as her eyes rolled up into her head. She began to collapse, but Sythe caught her, lowering her slowly to the floor. "Tashia!" Sythe called frantically, shaking her. Shadow watched as Markus turned towards Cyrus, who had drawn a knife. Just as Markus stopped, Cyrus swung. The knife slipped easily into Markus's throat. He stood there wide eyed for a moment, before the blood began to flow from the wound. Markus fell to the ground with a heavy thud, struggling to breath. Finally, his body stopped, and he lay still. Shadow stared at the scene before him. Cyrus walked over to Sythe, taking Tashia's body in his arms. He carried her over to the slab, and laying her down on it. Then he turned and walked towards Shadow.

"Oh god, it came true." Shadow said silently.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

"Stay the fuck away from me!" Shadow said, fiercely as Cyrus approached him. His order went unanswered as Cyrus grabbed Shadow by the head. Almost instantly, Shadow found himself standing in a room lit by candle light. He looked around for Cyrus, but couldn't see him.

"Where are you, you son of a bitch." Shadow said, as he looked around.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess." Came a voice behind him. Shadow spun around, staring at the woman that sat in the chair, the infant in one hand, and a story book in the other.

"Where am I?" Shadow demanded.

"One day, and evil dragon came, and kidnapped her, the kingdom was lost with out her."

"Hey! I'm talking to" Shadow started to say, grabbing for the woman's arm. His hand went right through it. "you..."

"Then, a brave knight, in shining golden armor came..."

Before the woman could finish, the door crashed open behind Shadow. He spun around, finding himself face to face with a middle aged man. Suddenly he recognized the people. They were the ones from his vision in Kalm.

"Love, we must flee." The man said, urgency in his voice.

"What's happened David?" The woman asked, alarmed.

"That damn boy has sold us out. He was like a son to us, and yet he sold us out."

"You mean Markus..."

"Yes, he was a Shinra spy. They're coming for us."

The woman stood up quickly, the book lay forgotten on the floor. Suddenly, screams came from outside. Shadow ran to the window, just as David did. The torch came fly at them, crashing through the windows. The torch struck David in the face, causing his shirt to catch fire. He quickly tried to pat it out, but finding it a lost cause, finally tore it off, dropping it to the floor.

"Come love, we have to go now. To the back door." He said, taking his wife by the hand. The lead her to the bedroom door, Shadow following them the whole way. They went down the stairs, heading for the back door. Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Run Michelle!" David yelled. The woman turned, and ran for the front door. Shadow stared at the man, who stared at the Soldier in the doorway. Shadow's eyes went wide, as he recognized the face. Angeal Hewley stood with his gun aimed at David.

"Just give us the information on the materia." Angeal pleaded. Shadow could tell from his eyes that Angeal didn't want to shoot. Suddenly, their was a creaking above. Angeal heard it too, he looked up, seeing that the fire ad consumed part of the ceiling, weakening it..

"Look out!" Angeal said, reaching for David. He was too late, the ceiling collapsed on top of him. Shadow wanted to stay, wanted to see what happened, but he sensed he needed to follow the woman, Michelle."

He turned, and ran to the front door. Michelle stood their, looking out the window at he Soldiers in front of her home. Finally, she did something that shocked Shadow. She threw open the door, and started running for the exit of the town.

"Fire!" Came the order. The men opened fire, but Michelle didn't miss a step. She charged on, reaching the exit, she continued without stopping. She ran out into the wilderness.

"Forget her." Someone yelled. "We've done our job."

Shadow ran after the woman, following her as she ran deeper and deeper into the night. About halfway to the Chocobo Ranch, she collapsed. The infant flew from her arms, landing a few feet from her. It started crying.

"well, well, well." Came a voice behind Shadow. Shadow turned to find Markus walking up behind him.  
"You bastard!" Shadow yelled, leaping at his throat. Shadow flew right through Markus. He climbed back to his feet and watched as Markus approached Michelle. He sat her up, leaning her against a rock.

"Looks like something bad happened." Markus said, laughing.  
Michelle responded by spitting in his face. Her spit was stained red with blood. It wasn't until this point, Shadow noticed all the wounds, all the shots she had taken. She was riddled with them.

"I'm so glad I get to kill you personally, Michelle. I've always kind of had a crush on you." Markus said. He pulled a pistol as he spoke these words. "Perhaps your son first."

"You need him." Michelle said, her breathing was labored.

"Is that so? Why?"

"Only he can find the neo-materia." She said.

Markus looked back and forth between her and the infant. "Good to know." He said, bringing the weapon up, pointing it at Michelle's head. Three shots rang out, accompanied by flashes.

Suddenly, images started flooding into Shadow's mind. Him being taken in, and raised by Markus. At age five, his mind being wiped away, deleting all memories of Markus, and him being abandoned in Midgar. Shadow screamed as fell to the floor, returning, finally, to the room in Shell Village. He banged his fist against the floor. All the sadness he had suffered through returned to him at once. He cried, yelling like a wounded beast. Cyrus knelt down next to him, causing Shadow to look up at him. He saw pain in the older man's eyes. Cyrus grabbed Shadow by the shoulders, embracing him.

"thank you for showing me." Shadow managed to sob.

"No." Cyrus said in a low voice. "Thank you for showing me."


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Sythe and Cyrus stood at the exit of the cavern, watching Shadow as he stood in the shallows of the lake. They had watched Aerith's companions bury her in it just moments ago. Shadow dropped to his knees. The water was at his shoulders. He closed his eyes,

"Aerith." He said. His tear stained face glimmered in the light reflected off of the water. "I... I'm so sorry that I didn't reach you in time. I'm so sorry I let you die." As he said these last words, his tears began to flow again. He shook in the sadness, the pain that this moment had caused him. He was responsible to killing her. He was the one that had failed to stop Sephiroth.

"We'd better go." Sythe said quietly to Cyrus, who shushed him.

"grievance is very important. If he doesn't do it now, he will be weakened eternally."

Shadow stood back up, walking back to the bank. He walked over to Cyrus, and Sythe.

"We're going to finish her fight." He said.

"I've got no objections." Cyrus said.

"Neither do I." Sythe added.

"Sythe, I need you to return to Midgar, and find Hal and the others. Tell them what happened. I also need you to go to Sector eight. Aerith's mother lives there. Tell her to, and also tell her that Shadow is going to get the bastard who did this."

Sythe nodded, and turned, leaving the cavern.

"Shall we go, brother?" Shadow asked.

"No, not yet." Cyrus answered.

"What?" Shadow replied, shocked.

"You have to learn a few things first." Cyrus said matter of factly.

==##==

"I hate you!" Shadow screamed as his arms where once again wrenched behind his back. Cyrus stood behind him, lifting the arms as high as he could without snapping them.

"Concentrate through the pain." Cyrus said calmly. Finally, Shadow pulled away from Cyrus.

"I bet you weren't tortured this way." Shadow spat, crossing his arms.

"You're right, I didn't have anyone to help me train. Instead of a nice stretch to the arms, I had to set myself on fire." Cyrus said, loosing his patience.

"What the hell is this supposed to do anyway." Shadow asked.

"Inner peace is the key to our powers. When he was young, our father discovered the neo-materia. He used it upon himself, but found it's true reason for being. He locked it away where no one could get to it, and lived his life until he met our mother. They had me, but in the process, dad unwillingly passed down the abilities he had gained from coming in contact with the materia. He began researching a cure, to removed the powers. We can see the lifestream, but can not actually become one with it until we have the abilities removed."

"But what about everything else? I see the future Cyrus."

"We've all had unique changes. Our physical abilities have been enhance, obviously. In addition to that, we all get one unique trait. Your's is your ability to see glimpses of the future."

"What about yours?" Shadow asked. Cyrus turned away.

"Maybe later, I'll tell you." Cyrus said. "anyway, fire or arms?"

Shadow didn't answer, but instead raised his arms.

"Though so."


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The snow whipped around Shadow's legs, as he and his brother fought their way through the mountains attempting to hunt down Sephiroth. The wind was blowing with the force of a hurricane, but still the two brother's trudged on through the slopes, even when at times they couldn't see their own hands in front of their face.

"Time is of the essence if you want revenge brother." Cyrus said, as he took Shadow's and pulled him behind him. "Trust me, I sense we're not the only ones seeking to destroy the monster that was once a legend among heroes."

"I sense it too." Shadow said.

Despite the cold, Cyrus couldn't help but smile. His brother had made great progress He was impressed by his abilities without training, now that Cyrus had gotten hold of him, he couldn't wait to see what Shadow could actually do.

"Can you see anything?" Cyrus asked Shadow, blinded by the white snowfall.

"Hold on." Shadow said. He closed his eyes tight, concentrating on the path beneath his feet. "Don't move, we're really close to a ledge." He said finally. "We need to go to the right."

Cyrus did as Shadow told him too, moving along the ledge to the right. How did those other people get through here? Cyrus wondered to himself. We must of underestimated them.

"There should be a cave in the wall." Shadow said. Cyrus felt his way along the wall, stopping when he felt the cave.

"Yeah, it's here." He told Shadow, pulling him inside. They took a moment to shake off all the snow that covered them, and then stood in silence, the only sounds being of the storm raging outside. Finally, Cyrus spoke. "I think we should stay here until the storm blows over."

"Yeah." Shadow agreed.

Once again, silence filled the cave, the exit was flat white with the snow that continued to fall around them.

"Where were you?" Shadow asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Where were you when mom and dad died?"

Cyrus fell silent, before finally speaking. "I was searching for the neo-materia." he said this with a tone of regret. "Father needed it retrieved in order to continue his research."

"I get the feeling there's something I don't know." Shadow said.

"There is, but I can't tell you yet. It's not my place"  
Shadow nodded, he could respect that. "OK, but I expect you to tell me when it's time."

Again, they sat in silence. Shadow looked around the cave, it wasn't much, but it kept the snow out.

"What did Markus need me for?" Shadow asked, finally.

"I don't know." Cyrus answered so quickly, Shadow knew it was the truth. "I've been pondering that myself. It could be something special about you, or it could have been a lie mother told him to get him to spare your life."

"Yeah, I guess it could have been that." Shadow said, sitting down on the cold floor. He began to focus on everything that had happened since the day he left to join SOLDIER. It had destroyed everything he had ever know, but he had found who he was. Was it worth it?


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Shadow and Cyrus were climbing the face of a mountain, it was the only place left to look. They had stumbled upon a shack, and found an old man who told them that their was a group of people that had started up the mountain just little while ago. So there Shadow and Cyrus were, climbing up a mountain.

"Not something you do every day, eh?" Shadow said, as he lept for a ledge, grabbing onto it. Cyrus was about ten feet below him.

"You'd better be more careful, who knows how sturdy these rocks are." He called up to Shadow.

"I'm fine, what's the worst that could happen." Shadow said, leaping for another rock. He grabbed it, and it immediately shifted. He tried to pull himself up quickly, but he rock broke away from the wall. Shadow began to fall. Cyrus' hand shot out, grabbing onto Shadow's leg. Shadow hang upside down, his brother holding onto his leg with one hand, and the rock with another.

"That is pretty much what, 'cept for the part where I grab onto you." Cyrus teased, he easily threw Shadow upward, enabling him to grab onto the ledge. They managed to climb the rest of the way upwards without incident. Upon reaching the top, Shadow stared at the image before him. It was an extremely remarkable sight that lay before him.

"A long time ago, a wound was inflicted in the planet so great, that it never healed." Cyrus said, walking up behind him.

"Why haven't I ever heard about this?" Shadow asked.

"It's not common knowledge." Cyrus continued. "It was such a horrible thing. The planet is constantly gathering energy to try and repair itself."

"Energy?"

"The lifestream. It's not known precisely what it is. All I know, is that it's a great river of energy that flows beneath the surface of the planet."

"So, if it's energy, why is it we don't use it at a power source?"

"We do. MAKO is the lifestream, only it's tainted. The more we take, the more the planet dies. You've seen Midgar, you've seen the effect of mass MAKO creation. It has to be stopped."

"So is that what our destiny is? To stop the MAKO?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"The time has not yet come for you to know. The more we stand here talking, the further ahead the others get."

"Right, let's go." Shadow said, leading the way.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Shadow made their way along the cracked, unstable ground leading into the crater, and were half way there when the ground began to shake violently.

"This normal?" Shadow yelled above the roar.

Cyrus was looking around. "I don't know, I've never been up here."

Suddenly, something shot past them, well above their heads. Shadow barely got a glimpse of it, it was moving so fast.

"What the hell was that?" Shadow yelled. He had never seen anything so large.

"I don't know. We should probably head back down the mountain!" Cyrus yelled, he turned and started back towards the edge of the crater. Shadow went to followed him, but something shot out of the ground, making a loud tearing sound. Cyrus turned back, seeing his brother enclosed in the huge dome.

"Um, perhaps we have a problem?" Shadow said, the roaring and shaking of the ground was beginning to subside. "At least the worst is over right?"

Cyrus shook his head, pointing behind Shadow. Shadow turned, seeing the giant object in the sky hurtling towards the earth. He turned back to Cyrus, who was now banging on the dome of energy, trying to break through it.

"Now what?" Shadow asked. "What should we do?"

"Something tells me this has something to do with Sephiroth. Go finish our job, and take him out." Cyrus answered.

"I don't even have weapon."

"Then find one."

Shadow looked around. "Fine, I'll be back in less than ten minutes." He said cockily.

"Don't underestimate him." Cyrus said.

"he's a former SOLDIER, I'm a former SOLDIER. The way I see it, he has the disadvantage."

"Sephiroth isn't just any SOLDIER. I can sense it."

"Yeah, I know." Shadow said, turning away from the dome and walking onwards muttering to himself. "Boy general this, legend that. Tell you what, legend or not, how gay do you have to be to have long silver hair. Especially with those bangs. And what's with that leather outfit? Does he go home at night, tie himself up and pour candle wax on his balls? And I'm taking that sword back too, that thing was fucking sweet."

"Stop!" demanded a voice behind him. He spun around quickly, finding no one there. He spun back around, finding himself in field of flowers.

"What the hell?"

==##==

A/N Another short one, sorry. Also, for the record I really like Sephiroth, he's one of my favorites, but Shadow isn't me.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

"You're not ready to face him yet." She said. He wanted to turn, to look at her again, but he couldn't let him self do it yet.

"That may be true." He said, staring straight ahead. He felt her arms wrap around him, hugging him the same way she did when they were young. "But I'm going to avenge, one way or another, even if it kills me. I will kill Sephiroth for what he did."

"Dilly dally, shilly shally. We all have our own paths that we have to follow."

"You... knew you were going to die?"

"Well, in a sense we all die someday, but we live on in the Life stream."

"But Sephiroth killed you!" Shadow burst out. "He took you away from me." he said these word barely above a whisper, he could feel the tears form in his eyes. "I loved you so much, I chased you so far, and he robbed me of you. He robbed me of my reason... my reason to live."

He couldn't hold it inside of him any longer. It was like a dam had broken. He spun around, grabbing her by the shoulders. He pressed his lips against her, and in that moment, everything was forgotten. Sephiroth killing her, his finding his origins, Tashia's death, everything. All he knew, was this moment in front of him right now. Finally, after what seemed like a millennium, he released her.

"I should of never left you." Shadow whispered.

"I know how you feel, but it wasn't meant to be. My time has passed, but you will do great things." She said. The image of her in the field of flowers began to fade away.

"Aerith," Shadow pleaded. "don't go."

"I'm not truly leaving you." Her voice said, fading away. "I'll always be with you."

Shadow watched as the image faded away, leaving him alone in the middle of the crater. His knees went out, causing him to call to the ground. Angrily, he slammed his fist into the ground over and over, screaming at the top of his lungs. For so long, he had locked away his true feelings, masking them. Why had he chosen now to reveal them? Whatever the reason, the pain that had filled the empty hole that lay in his heart was not going to go away.

"I will kill him! I will do it for you." Shadow said, forcing himself to climb to his feet. What this pain he felt? It was more than emotional. It had spread through his body, making it scream with every movement. Shadow gritted his teeth, forcing himself to take a step.

"She's right, you're not ready for this." A voice said behind him. He struggled to turn towards it, but managed. It was the stow away from the boat.

"Who the hell are you!" Shadow demanded.

"I am a friend. Aerith is right, you can't defeat Sephiroth."

"I don't even know you, you can't stop me." Shadow said, turning away again. He forced himself to take another step, the pain searing through him like fire through ice.

"Don't throw your life away." A voice said. Angeal appeared in front of him.

"You? What are you doing here?"

"When I was alive, I sensed great strength in you, I wanted you save the world, but I realize that your destiny isn't to defeat someone that threatens this world. You're destiny is much more important."

Shadow swung at him, causing him to dissipate. He managed to force himself to take one last step before collapsing. He heard soft footsteps approaching him. He tried to look up to see who it was, but couldn't force himself to.

"Don't worry, Shadow." He heard Tashia's voice say. "I know it's hard, but he's coming to make it easy for you. Just stay here with me for a little, and he'll be here soon."

Shadow coughed, blood splattered on the ground. "what's happening to me? What's going on?" Shadow gasped. He was finding it hard to breath.

"You're dying. And it's all thanks to me." A mocking voice said. Shadow again tried to force himself to stand, but collapsed flat on the ground. Markus walked over to him. I didn't actually remove your MAKO poisoning, I only gave you more time so you could help me reach the neo-materia."

"You're a monster." Tashia said angrily.

"He was the one with glowing skin." Markus retorted matter of factly.

"Get away from my son!" A third person demanded. Markus turned towards David as he walked up to them.

"Oh come on, old man. I'm just trying to have some fun with the boy before he croaks, and joins us in the oh so wonderful Life stream." He said, rolling his eyes.

David stared at him fiercely. "He won't be joining us. He's stronger than you thought."

"Oh whatever, you were always so noble." Markus said, before vanishing. David kneeled down next to him, but spoke to Tashia.

"You should go to." He told her, she looked at Shadow for awhile, and then finally vanished.

By this point, Shadow was unable to move, unable to speak. His pupil were dilated, and his vision blurred. It was all he could do to breath.

"Markus isn't what killed you, I am." David said, running his hand through Shadow's hair."I had hoped that they'd be able to talk you out of fighting Sephiroth, but fate would not have it be so. I'm killing, so that you may be reborn when the time is right. Good night my son." As he said this, he began to fade away. Shadow desperately willed himself to move. Slowly, his hand reached out for something to grab, so he could drag himself forward. Finally, his arm collapsed on the cold ground. His eyes shown no signs of life. Shadow was dead.

==##==

"In seven years, I need you to return here and awaken him." David said to Cyrus, who was still standing outside of the energy field.

"You killed him?" Cyrus said, unsure that he had heard his father's spirit correctly.

"Yes, but is more of an extended sleep. Just remember, seven years and not a day sooner."

Cyrus looked uncertain. "It just doesn't feel right." He said. "But if you're sure it's for the best, then as you say, I will awaken him in seven years."

David smiled, as he faded away. Cyrus looked at the energy field. He imagined his brother laying on the ground, dead. "Or less." He said.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

The night was pitch black, as a lone man made his way through the rugged ground of the crater. It had only been two years since the person he sought out had been killed, but he had his reasons for breaking his vow. He reached the site of the death, finding the shallow grave that covered his brother.

"Seven years? Two years? There is no difference." The man said as he uncovered the body. Finally, he stood up. In the hole, the body of his brother lay, badly decaying. He held the elixir in his hand. In the two years that Shadow had been dead, a lot had changed. Midgar was in all meaning, dead. Shinra along with it. Not only that, but his brother had changed as well. Scars marked the once handsome man's body. He was almost literally covered with them now. He had even lost one of his eyes.

"What are you doing!" The voice behind him demanded. Cyrus slowly turned towards the voice, not surprised by it's presence.

"About time, father. I figured you show up, try to talk me out of this."

"I told you seven years. To awaken him now..."

"Would be humane."

"He's dreaming, he's happy, to awaken him now would do nothing but make him suffer the hardships of the world. He should stay this way until it is his time to act."

"What are you talking about? His time to act? All I've ever hear about is him. I don't care what his destiny is. He deserves to live his life, not spend it suffering."

"he's dreaming Cyrus."

"Dad! You don't know, you're only a scientist. You have no idea what people like me. What people like Shadow dream of. We don't dream, we have nightmares. We see things in our lives that no one wants to see. I can already tell you what he's seeing. Over and over. His sister dying. His friends dying in war."

"He has no sister! He has no friends. We are his family."

"No! We are not his family. Not anymore. He had a mother. He had a sister. You mean nothing to him. I am merely his friend, his ally. And now I'm waking him up." Cyrus made his point, pulling the top from the bottle in his hand.

"Don't do that." David pleaded, but his pleas fell on def ears. Cyrus turned the bottle over, pouring the contents into the grave. David fade away, but Cyrus didn't even look. He was staring as the damage of decay was reverse, and his brother began to take back his appearance. His hair regained its dark color, his skin began to darken again. And then, finally a light filled the grave. Cyrus quickly shielded his eyes, stepping back as the light exploded from the grave. Finally, the light faded. Cyrus cautiously took a step towards the grave, looking into it. At the bottom of the grave, Shadow lay. He looked exactly the same as the day he had died.

"Shadow?" Cyrus asked softly.  
Shadow's eyes snapped open.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

"Shadow?" Cyrus asked. Shadow stared up at the sky, not blinking or making any movements. "Shadow!" Cyrus said again, this time louder. "Shad..."

Shadow shot out of the grave, wrapping his fingers tightly around Cyrus' throat. They two fell to the ground, Shadow on top of Cyrus. Cyrus struggled to breath as Shadow held him down. Cyrus beat his fists against Shadow's arm, trying to break the death grip he had on him. "Shadow!" Cyrus managed to choke out. Shadow stared him, unblinking. Glared was more the proper word for it. Their was intent in his eyes. Murderous intent. "It's Cyrus." Cyrus gagged. Shadow's eyes suddenly changed. They lightened, as did Shadow's grip on Cyrus' throat. Shadow climbed off of him. Cyrus jumped to his feet. "it's about time you freaking recognized who I was. You damn near killed me!"

"What's happening? How long have I been out?" Shadow demanded looking around. "What time is it? Where is Sephiroth?"

"Shadow, calm down." Cyrus said, trying to make his younger brother relax.

"Where the hell is he! What's going on? What the fuck happened to you!"

"Shadow, you died."

Shadow just stood there for a moment, looking at Cyrus dumbstruck. Suddenly, everything came flooding back to him. His own father's betrayal.

"How long?" Shadow asked.

"Two years."

"Two years?"

"Yes."

"What about Sephiroth? Where is he?"

"He's dead. Aerith's friends killed him."

"Strife!" Shadow growled. How could he of let himself be shown up by that weakling? That reject. He stomped his foot, trying to release his anger.

"But at least I only waited two years right?" Cyrus said, breaking the silence.

"what?"

"At least I only waited..."

"No, I heard what you said. What do you mean waited?"

"Dad didn't want me to revive you for seven years, but I revived you after two."

"You could of woken me up earlier?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so."

Shadow nodded to himself. "draw your weapon!"

"What!" Cyrus gasped in shock. He wasn't sure if his brother was joking or not.

"I said draw your fucking weapon!" Shadow said, taking a step towards Cyrus.

"Brother, come on. We don't want to fight, I'm on your side." Cyrus tried to explain, but Shadow wasn't having any of it.

"You let me lay dead for two years, when you could of brought me back? You let me be dead? You let me stay in hell for two years. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I WAS GOING THROUGH!"

"I do, that's part of the reason I resurrected you now. I know you must have had terrible nightmares."

"Whatever, just draw your weapon." Shadow said. Before Cyrus could say anything else, Shadow charged at him.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Cyrus tried to jump to the side to avoid Shadow's attack, but Shadow was faster. Shadow threw out his hand, catching Cyrus by the collar. Shadow spun, throwing Cyrus to the ground. Cyrus new he had slowed down in the time that had passed, and that he had taken many wounds since then, but he still couldn't believe Shadow was this much strong than he was. Shadow grabbed Cyrus' leg, and shoulder, and lifted him above his head.

"Brother, don't do this." Cyrus begged, but Shadow ignored his brother's pleas. He slammed Cyrus down over his knee. A loud, sickening crack echoed through the night. Cyrus cried out in pain, as Shadow lifted him into the air again.

"I'm going to give you the chance you never gave me." Shadow said, as he walked over to the edge of the Crater. The open fall below them stretched for at least a mile. "I'm going to give you a chance to live. Course, your broken spine might hamper it." Without another word, Shadow threw his brother into the open air. Time stood still for a moment, as Cyrus seemed to float in mid air. He stared at his brother, hurt that it had come to this. Shadow returned this with his own look. A cold, uncaring look in his eyes. The moment stopped, and Cyrus began to fall silently into the darkness. Shadow continued to stare at the darkness that had by now consumed his brother. He may have been resurrected, but he was no longer than man he used to be.

"I must go see Aerith." he said, as he began to walk back towards the direction of Shell Village. When he reached the edge of the Crater, leading to the glacier below, he wasted no time. He jumped into the open air below him. Falling quickly, he thrust his towards the cliff face, digging into it, slowing his decent. In only seconds, he was at the bottom of the mountain. He landed with a thud, burying him a few feat into the ground. He threw his hand out, pulling himself from the hole he had made. He shook the snow from his tattered clothing. He would need to find replacements for his old clothing, apparently being buried was not the best thing for them. He slowly began to make his way towards Icicle Lodge. As he passed the cabin at the base of the mountain, the owner called out to him.

"Son, you shouldn't be out here in the dead cold of night." The man warned, not knowing he had just pressed one of Shadow's buttons. Shadow lay his backhand across the man's face, sending flying back. The old man slammed against the wall of his cabin, his head cracking against the frozen wood.

"I'm not your son." Shadow said, continuing his walk to Icicle Lodge.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Shadow emerged from the store wearing brand new clothes. The sun was high in the sky, but the temperature was still freezing. Icicle Lodge remained pretty much the same as it had been last time Shadow had gone through it. His clothing fit him tightly, but it was the biggest thing they had in the store. It reminded him of the outfit he had worn back when he was in exclusion from the world. He had always like the look of leather, and this outfit definitely had that look. The shirt was made from cotton, but everything else that was on his body was brown leather. He began walking towards the exit of the town, when he noticed three men, all wearing black, and all with silver hair. The thing that caught his attention was their vehicles. He slowly began walking towards them.

"Nice bikes." Shadow said, stopping a few feet away from them. The three men ignored him, continuing to talk amongst themselves. Shadow took another step forward. "I said nice bikes." he said, raising his voice. Finally, he got a response.

"Just get out of here." The one with the shortest hair said. Turning his attention back to the other two.

"I've got a long way to go, can I have one?" Shadow said. He phrased it as a question, but his tone left no confusion that it wasn't a request. The three men looked up at him, annoyed.

"I'm going ahead to make sure we don't miss them." The one with medium length hair said. "Yazoo, Loz, take care of this idiot, and then meet me up at the crater."

"With pleasure." Loz said, climbing off his bike. Yazoo leaned back, acting as if he was about to watch a movie. The third man started his bike, and sped off in the direction Shadow had entered town from. Shadow smirked, as the big man stopped a couple feet from him.

"Loz was your name?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah." Loz replied, adjusting the gauntlet on his arm. The weapon strapped to his leg remained in it's holster.

"Just give me your bike, and I'll forget this ever happened." Shadow offered, staring at the man that was still on his bike. "I'll take either one." Loz smirked at his office, adjusting his weight. Shadow knew that he was going to have to fight him, and probably the other man as well, Yazoo. "Well, you gonna draw your weapon or not?" Shadow asked. He was caught off guard when Loz came at him. He jumped to the side as the gauntleted fist slipped past him, extending. "So that's your game? Better pick up the pace." Shadow mocked, jumping back as Loz struck at him again. Loz jumped back, and then charged forward again. The gauntlet extended again, grazing Shadow's gut. Shadow smiled. "Your mistake." He said, grabbing the extended part. He pulled hard, pulling the gauntlet right off of Loz's hand. In a flash, Shadow was in close to him. He sent a fist into Loz's face, another. Then hit him in the chin with a hook. Loz responded with a hook of his own, but Shadow easily ducked under it, spinning. He managed to slip behind him, kicking Loz in the back. Loz fell forward into the snow. Before Shadow had a chance to reset, Yazoo was off his bike. He wielded two weapons, the same as the one Loz had holstered to his leg. Shadow dove forward into the snow to doge Yazoo's swing, and then pushed himself off the ground as Yazoo attempted a spinning low kick. Shadow landed on his feet, and grabbed Yazoo's weapon. "This thing isn't even a sword." Shadow laughed, letting his guard down. Yazoo smiled, pulling the trigger on the handle. The bullet struck Shadow above his left eye. Shadow stumble back, clutching his eye in pain. Yazoo was upon him again, kicking at his midsection, and striking him with both his weapons.

"Enough!" Shadow yelled, grabbing Yazoo by the throat. He slammed him to the ground, and then stomped his face. Shadow reached down, and grabbed one of Yazoo's fallen weapons. "I'm taking this!" Shadow said, and then angrily stomped over to the bikes. He jumped on the nearest one, and started it. He sped off in the direction of Shell Village.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Shadow came to a stop next to the lake in the center of the old city. Climbing off of the bike, he walked over to the lake. He stood on the edge of it for hours, just staring into the lake. He didn't know what he was searching for, but he knew that something was lost.

"Why?" A all to familiar voice asked him. He turned around, finding himself in a familiar place.

"Aerith." He said, taking a step forward.

"Don't." she said, bringing him to stop. He looked at her, half questioning, half pleading. "Why did you come here?"

"I... I wanted to see you." He said.

"You shouldn't dwell in the past, it can destroy you." She said.

"I don't care!" Shadow snapped. "I just want to be with you again. I want it to be like it used to be. Me and you. Together, always."

"It can't be that way. If you would search your heart, you would know it is true."

Shadow lept forward. Aerith tried to step away, but he managed to grab her by the arm.

"If you won't let me in, I'll personally see this place in flames." Shadow threatened.

"Enough!" A voice said, echoing around them. Shadow quickly turned around, but found no one. He looked back, and Aerith was gone. He kept looking in every direction, but he was alone. Finally, the field of flowers vanished from his sight, and he found himself back at Shell Village.

"Look what we have here." he heard a voice behind him say. He turned, finding the three men he had seen in Icicle Lodge.

"You took Loz's bike." Yazoo said. The three men climbed off of their bikes, Loz off of the back of Yazoo's.

"Give it back, meanie!" Loz demanded.

"You have no idea the pain you have invited on you by coming here." Shadow said, slowly pulling his weapon out of the holster he had fashioned for it.

"I want that back too." Yazoo said, pointing at his former weapon.

"And here I was going to let you have the bike, and get out of here with no pain." Shadow said. "but if you're going to be rude about it, I'm going fucking hurt you!" Shadow said. He lept at the three men, but was shocked by the one he hadn't fought yet. Light lightning, he moved to parry his attack. Shadow struck out with his weapon, but found only the resistance of steel. Shadow tried spinning around to his back, and striking, but he still found himself blocked. Shadow jumped back.

"So I was right, you are the leader." Shadow said. "You're good, almost like good old Sephiroth."

"He knows brother." Yazoo said excitedly.

"Do you know where to find him?" The leader asked.

"Well, he's kind of dead from what I here. I guess Cloud killed him."

"Cloud?"

"Yeah, Cloud Strife. Probably lives in Midgar." Shadow said.

The leader sheathed his weapon. "Thank you for this information. In exchange, we will take the bike and leave."

"Whatever." Shadow said. "I don't care anymore. Just do me a favor, and make sure you don't screw up the body in the lake." Shadow said, turning to leave.

"I'm Kadaj." The leader said.

"Don't care." Shadow responded, as he disappeared through the trees.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Shadow sat by the fire he had built. The night sky was dark, starts littering it. Shadow concentrated on his work, his new weapon lay on his lap. It was a truly remarkable weapon. It was a gun, but it could be used in defensive melee combat. He was currently sharpening the edge of it to increase it's effectiveness in offense.

"You're loosing your mind." A voice said behind him. Shadow quickly looked back, but found no one there. He turned his attention back to his weapon, but couldn't get his mind off the voice. It was the same one that had interrupted him and Aerith. He continued to work on sharpening his weapon. Finally, an hour later, he held it up to the light of the fire. It wasn't the sharpest blade in the world, but it would do. He placed it back into the holster, and lay down next to the fire. He soon found his mind wandering to Aerith. Why did she act the way she had towards him? Why couldn't they be together? If she said it simply because she was dead, and he was still alive, he could fix that. He would gladly die to be with her. He heard a twig snap behind him. In a flash, he was on his feet, his weapon aimed in the direction the twig had sounded from. Standing there, there own weapon aimed at Shadow, was a man Shadow hadn't seen before.

"Calm down, I was only passing by, and I saw your fire." The man said in a deep voice. Shadow eyed the man suspiciously for a moment, watching him as he re holstered his weapon. Shadow slowly put his own back, and sat down next to the fire. The man walked over to him, and sat down. "Not often you see people out here." He said.

"Yeah, but still, here you are. So what can I do for you Mr?"

"Valentine. Vincent Valentine."

"Great, your name matches your outfit." Shadow said sarcastically. Vincent did not look amused.

"Well, I was just hoping to rest by your fire before moving on."

"Yeah, sure, knock yourself. I'm going to bed." Shadow said, laying back down. He lay there, waiting for Vincent to say something to disturb him, but all he hear was silence. Well, at least he's considerate, Shadow thought as he slipped off to sleep.

==##==

Shadow awoke the next morning, expecting to find something missing. Surprisingly, he found everything he had still on him. Looking around the remains of the fire, he found a small scrap of paper. On it, was a note:

_Thanks for the hospitality, perhaps we shall meet again in the future_

_V.V._

"hmm, Vincent Valentine." Shadow said out loud. It was the first decent person he had met in a long time, despite being such an odd person. "Yes, I get the feeling our paths will cross again someday."


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Shadow emerged from the forest, walking slowly across the north continent. "So what now?" Shadow wondered. He had no sooner asked himself than the answer came to him. He started in the direction of his destination, bargaining with a fisherman of a boat that docked at a small village that must have been built while he was away. He landed in the desolate wasteland that was Midgar. He made his way in the direction of the city, shocked when he saw it.

"What the hell happened!" He said, staring at the once great city before him. It looked as if a earthquake had hit it. He could easily tell, even from this distance, that great damage had been done to it. "Is that the freaking Junon Cannon?" he asked himself, staring at the giant weapon. He began walking towards it, unbelieving. He slipped into the slums through the Sector eight access door, as he typically did. He moved through the dead city, until finally coming to the old Church. He pushed the door open, walking into the badly crumpling building. He was relieved to find the bed of flowers still there. He knelt down beside it, running his hand gently over the delicate plants. He lowered his face to one, inhaling the sweet aroma. As he raised his head, the door suddenly creaked. He quickly ran over to one of the pillars, hiding behind it. He listened closely to the footsteps that were now echoing through the room. There were definitely two of them. Judging by the volume of them, one was an adult, the other one was a child. He watched as a young girl ran into his view, kneeling down in the flowers carefully, she began going through them, tending to them. A few moments later a woman also walked into Shadow's view. Shadow felt he knew her from somewhere, but he couldn't place her face.

"Does Cloud live here?" The girl asked.

"I guess he does." the woman said. The woman then walked over to some items Shadow hadn't noticed. The girl followed her.

"Strife?" Shadow said silently, continuing to watch the two females.

"What's this?" The girl asked. She knelt down next to a crate, picking up something that Shadow couldn't see. "It's just like Denzel, is Cloud sick?"

"Why didn't he say something?" the woman asked, though not directing the question at anybody.

"Did he live because he's sick?"

"He just wants to fight alone."

"Yeah right." Shadow said, once gain under his breath. "All Strife ever did was rely on others. He'll never amount to anything."

"Fight?" The girl asked, sounding worried.

"No... I don't think that he will." The woman said.

"Tifa?" The girl asked. The woman bent over towards the girl.

"Let's go home Marlene."

"Tifa? I know that name." Shadow said, trying to place where he had heard it.

The girl, Marlene Shadow guessed, ran around the crate. "We can't, Cloud's not here yet." She pouted.

"I know Sweety." Tifa said, standing back up. She walked over to Marlene. "I miss him too."

"Yeah." Marlene said.

"So, say he comes back."

"We'll all go home."

"Not until... he gets a lecture."

"And his punishment for failing to protect Aerith." Shadow said under his breath.

"Uh huh." Marlene said excitedly.

In that instant, Marlene vanished from Shadow's view, and was replaced by Aerith when she was young. He felt a twinge of guilt in his chest, as he realized how much the young girl reminded him of Aerith. Was he doing the right thing, pursuing Cloud for vengeance?


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Shadow was entranced as he watched the girl, Marlene, tending to the flowers. He couldn't help but smiled as she hummed to herself happily. Something was happening to Shadow, he no longer felt the desire to find Cloud. Aerith died because of Sephiroth, not anyone else. He finally understood that, and with Sephiroth dead, it was time for Shadow to find a new purpose. But what would it be. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash, followed by a gasp from Marlene. She must of thought it to be Cloud, because she ran for the door. Tifa, seeing that it was not Cloud, grabbed Marlene and held her back. Shadow quickly turned his head, looking towards the door. He recognized the man immediately.

"Wanna play?" Loz asked, offering his hand. Tifa pulled Marlene closer to her, eying the man suspiciously. "I guess that's a no." Loz said, taking a step forward. "Where's mother?" upon smelling the flowers, he but his hand to his nose. "Gross." he said, before turning his attention back to Tifa. "hey, where's mother?" he demanded.

"There's no one here." Tifa said.

"Fine, play with me." He said.

Tifa pushed Marlene gently to the side, as she readied herself for the fight.

"ha, this will be fun." Loz said, taking his stance. In a flash, Tifa charged at Loz. Shadow watched the fight, it was fast paced. He actually had to dive out of the way as Loz came flying in his direction, luckily he remained unseen by the two adults. He felt hands on his shoulder, looking up he saw Marlene standing over him. He put his hand to his lips, and shushed her, and then quickly climbed up the pillar. He watched the floor below him. It didn't look good for Tifa, but in mere seconds, she turned it around, throwing him into the air. She lept up, grabbing him midair, and threw him into one of the benches, causing it to collapse around him.  
"Tifa." Marlene cried happily. She ran to Tifa, but was cut short when a strange sound filled the room. Shadow watched as Loz emerged from the wreckage, answering his phone.

"She's not here." He said to the person on the other end of the line." I'm not crying!" He said angrily. "No I got it, I'll bring the girl." he said, hanging up. He then charge at Tifa, hitting her so hard she flew against the pillar Shadow was on top of. Shadow quickly jumped to another one as Loz rushed to Tifa, hitting her so hard she broke through the Pillar. He threw into the center of the flower bed, walking over to finish her off. Just then, a piece of materia struck the back of his head. He turned towards Marlene, and began walking towards her.

"Cloud." Marlene cried weakly.

"Just run!" Tifa cried, before fainting. Marlene turned, running for the door to the church. Loz started running after her, as did Shadow up in the rafters. Marlene emerged from the church, followed seconds later by Loz. Unfortunately for him, so did Shadow. He lept down through a hole in the wall, landing both feet squarely on Loz's shoulders. Both men tumble to the ground, causing Marlene to stop running and turn to see what had happened. Shadow jumped to his feet, and grabbed Loz. He threw him against the wall of the church, and slammed his elbow into the bigger man's gut. Loz's eyes flew wide, as Shadow repeated the blow. He let Loz slip to the ground, and turned to Marlene.

"Are you OK?" He asked Marlene. Just then, the roar of an engine cut through the air. Shadow watched as Kadaj appeared on the street. He was so distracted by Kadaj's arrival, he didn't notice Loz climbing to his feet.

"Look out!" Marlene cried, but it was too late. Loz's weapon was in his hand, and Shadow turned just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew through the air, striking Shadow in the gut. Shadow was shocked as the pain tore through his body. He looked down at the wound, surprised to see blood slowly start to flow from the wound.

"But I'm invulnerable." he said, before collapsing to the ground. He watched as Loz moved over to Marlene, who attempted to run, but was easily caught. Loz climbed up on his bike, just as Kadaj rolled to a stop.  
"What's taking so long." Kadaj asked.

"Ran into an inconvenience." Loz answered. The two brothers then raced off down the street. Shadow's vision slowly faded to black, as he passed out.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Shadow awoke an hour later, dizzy. He looked down, finding himself laying in a pool of his own blood. He heard the sound of a engine approaching him. Weekly, he pulled himself out of site behind an old rusted car. He watched as the motorcycle rolled to a stop outside of the church. He watched as Cloud Strife climbed off of it, walking towards the church doors. He had no idea what had happened here, but he would soon figure it out. Weakly, Shadow managed to stand up. He staggered in the direction of the house he had grew up in.

==##==

Shadow burst through the door to the house. It was clear by the state of the house, that it had been abandoned long ego. He stumbled over to the kitchen table, and his legs went out. He fell forward, crashing through the table. He lay on the floor, groaning. The pain from his wound had dulled, but it was definitely still there. He pressed his hand to his wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I bet you're wondering what's happening to you." A voice said.

"Leave me alone Markus." Shadow groaned.

"But what fun is that." Markus said, appearing before Shadow. "I want to tell you why you're bleeding right now."

"I said shut up!" Shadow said, trying to sit up. He fell back to the floor, clutching his gut in pain.

"You never had direct contact with the neo-materia did you Shadow? The answer is no, in case you're wondering. Because of this, your abilities are fading, and you're becoming a normal human being. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Shut up!" Shadow said, jumping to his feet. The pain flared inside of him, but he barely felt it.

"You always did have a temper." Markus said. His eyes went wide when Shadow wrapped his hands around his throat.

"Tell me, Markus. Can you kill a ghost?" Shadow asked. He was prepared as Markus dug his fingers into Shadow's wound. Shadow cried out, falling to the floor.

"No, but if I wanted to, I could kill you." He said. He kicked Shadow in the gut. "I'm so glad you're going to die this way, alone in some old broke down house. Then you get to come back to the lifestream with us, and I can torture you for all eternity. It sounds fun doesn't it?" Markus began to fade away. "See you soon." he said, as he completely vanished. Shadow lay on the floor, struggling to breath.

"You're not going to die yet." a voiced echoed through the room. Shadow's eyes went wide as he recognized the voice again.

"Who are you?" Shadow demanded.

"If you want to find out, I suggest you live." The voice said.

Shadow knew from the point, that he had to live no matter what. He had to know who the owner of that voice was, and why it was haunting him.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Shadow struggled to his feet, his wound still pained him, but at least now it was closed. He had searched the house for anything he could use, and finally found an old shirt of his that he managed to shred up and use as a bandage. He left the house in a hurry. He had no idea where he was going, he was just letting his subconscious guide him. Upon reaching the exit of Midgar, he stared out at the wasteland.

"What now?" he asked himself, looking around. That's when he noticed it in the distance. "I don't remember their being another town." He said, as he began making his way towards it. It took him only an hour to reach it.

"Edge." He said, reading the sign. He made his way through the town, taking it all in. Eventually, he came across a large statue that stood at what he guessed was the center of the City. He stared at it, shocked. It was a statue of Midgar, with something floating over it.

"You missed a lot, didn't you?" Someone asked him. Shadow looked over, surprised to see Cyrus. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink." he said, taking Shadow's arm. "I know a good place."

==##==

Shadow sat across a table from Cyrus. They were sitting in a bar called "Seventh Heaven". Apparently it had been a popular bar in Midgar before the original building had been destroyed by Shinra for being under suspicion of housing terrorist. Shadow emptied his mug, it was his third one already. Across the table, Cyrus had emptied three times that many.

"So, I got shot." Shadow said, taking a swig of a forth mug. "Care to explain why it affected me?"

Cyrus stared at him blankly, and then finally said. "It's because of the children. They're everywhere."

"Children? What do they have to do with me getting shot?" Shadow asked.

"Shot? I thought you said snot. I thought you caught a cold."

Shadow stared at his brother, apparently he had a minor drinking problem.

"What about the voice? Why do I keep hearing it?" Shadow asked, speaking very clearly.

"You should be happy, I lost my power thingys a year ago now. In case you didn't notice, I'm missing a fucking eye!" As he said this, he pointed at the empty eye socket. "All because you had to..." He swung his head to the side, and proceeded to vomit violently onto the floor. "I love you brother." he said, falling face first onto the table.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to go." The waitress said. Shadow nodded, and lifted Cyrus out of the chair. He drug him outside, to the alley way, and threw him in a pile of trash. He looked around for a moment, finding what he was looking for. He picked up the half empty soda bottle, and dumped it over Cyrus' head. His brother stirred, looking around.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"In an alleyway outside of Seventh Heaven. I'm guessing you can get home by yourself." Shadow said, walking towards the street.

Cyrus stared at him blankly, watching as his brother disappeared around the corner. Cyrus got up from the pile of trash, wiping himself off. "I need a drink."


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Shadow walked through the city, as the sun slowly disappeared behind the buildings. From what he could gather, this entire city was the remains of Midgar. Shadow walked on, as the streets began to thin from their traffic. His brother had mentioned children, but he had actually not seen a single child on the streets yet. He turned into an alleyway, walking until he was halfway through it, he stopped.

"You've been following me for the last four blocks." He said, turning around. "Show yourself."

A lone man emerged from behind a dumpster. Shadow stared at him a moment, but didn't recognize him. "Who are you?" Shadow demanded. The man ran at him, causing Shadow to react. In a flash, Shadow had drew his weapon and fired. The bullet hit the man in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. Shadow walked up to his fallen foe slowly, and pulled off the man's hat. He stared into bright eyes.  
"MAKO." Shadow said. He looked up to see more men coming into the alleyway. They were all dressed the same as the other man. Shadow turned, bounding down the alley, the men chasing after him. He tore out of the Alley, running across a street and into another one. He bolted up a fire escape, climbing to the roofs, and took off running across them. The men were fast, and managed to keep on his heels. He felt his wound open up as he ran, but kept pushing on. Finally, he came to the end of the roof. Looking back, he could see the men still chasing him. He had to risk it. He lept into the air, gliding towards the next rooftop. He knew as soon as he began to sink, that he would not make it. He fell 4 stories, slamming into a dumpster, and bouncing off of it, onto the cold hard concrete. He found his pain racked body trembling violently from the shock of the fall, but remarkably he was not only still alive, but still conscious. He tried to lift himself to his feet, but collapsed in a fit of coughing. He pulled his hand away from his mouth, finding blood on it. Realizing he couldn't get up, he slid his hand forward, dragging himself forward weakly. He heard voices above him, but he ignored them as he kept crawling forward. A figure appeared in front of him, strangely familiar. It moved towards him.

"You have to get up." The figure said. It was too dark for Shadow to tell who it was, but he knew the voice instantly.

"Who... who are you." Shadow managed to gasp. He had finally come face to face with the voice that haunted him constantly.

"You have three broken ribs, a fractured kneecap, a fractured skull, and you've broken seven of your fingers. You've bruised your spinal cord, and have multiple lacerations." The figure said. "Yes, that's a lot for any normal person, now get the fuck up, or die alone in this dark ally!"

"Help me." Shadow said weakly.

"Help yourself." The figure said, turning around and walking away. "you have the ability."

Shadow watched as the figure turned the corner, disappearing from sight. He then lay still for a moment, before pushing both hands against the ground as hard as he could. The pain brought tears to his eyes, but he managed to force him off the ground. He heard the footsteps behind him, and slowly turned to see who it was.

"It's good to see you again, Shadow." A voice from the past said.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

"You're behind this?" Shadow asked weakly. "You were the one who was having me chased?"

"Yes, I was. I wanted to talk to you."

"Why didn't you just come yourself?"

"Because, officially I don't exist. None of us do. We're one big cover up. Leftovers of Shinra's reign of corruption. You are one of us, regardless of the past."

"No, I'm not. I am not Shinra's lap dog. I've proven that multiple times in the past."

"Nor am I, brother."

"I only have one brother. He's not you."

"We are all siblings. We are the hell spawn of G. We are the Tsviets. And you, Shadow, are one of us. In fact, you were the first. The first that was combined with the genes of Genesis Rhapsodos."

"I escaped for a reason, Weiss. I do not take orders from anyone." Shadow said, standing up tall.

"I'm not asking you to. I just wanted you to join our ranks, and to help us."

"Help you with what?"

"To purify the world."

"I have no idea what that means." Shadow said. "But I have nothing better to do. You were my friend, and I do miss fighting."

"So you will join our cause?"

Shadow stood, pondering his decision. He no longer had a purpose, and joining his friend would return that to him. "You've already sold your soul, Shadow." the voice said inside his head. Shadow smiled.

"Of course I'll join you, my friend." He said.

"Then let's get you back to the base, the years have not been kind to you." Weiss said, looking over Shadow's bloody and beaten body. Together, the two friends walked back to Midgar, where Shadow's preparations began.

==##==

The first thing they did, was infused Shadow with MAKO, returning the glowing marks on his skin.

"I've never seen this effect before." Weiss noted.

Shadow was then introduced to the rest of the Tsviets, A monster of a man, Azul the Cerulean, Rosso the Crimson, and Shelke the transparent. He also had a reunion with his old friend, and brother of Weiss, Nero the sable. For a year, Shadow stayed inside the base, training as the others did, preparing for the day of their unmasking. One day, Weiss came to him.

"We need you to go to Nibelheim, and check out the old Shinra mansion." He said. "You and Rosso are going."

"Why? What's their of all places?" Shadow asked.

"We don't know, which is why we're sending you. I've seen your skill Shadow, it rivals even my own."

"Very well, I'll go." Shadow said. "Though I don't see why I need to take someone else."


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Shadow dug through the books that lay in the hidden library of the mansion. Upstairs, Rosso was searching the rest of the mansion. Shadow was only half heartily searching. For thing, they had no idea what he was looking for, and secondly, he wasn't a hundred percent sure that what the Tsviets and Deepground had in mind was the right thing. I mean, making the world a better place was one thing, but they were talking about a cleansing. Who was it that judged who was clean and who was dirty.

"You are." A voice said. Shadow looked up, surprised to find a Shadow before him. He then realized, that it was a person, they were just hiding in the darkness. Not only that, but he knew the voice.

"Stop playing with me, and just show yourself." Shadow demanded.

"Not yet, but soon. You know what Rosso is doing upstairs right now?" The figure asked.

"Searching for whatever is lost in this hell hole." Shadow said. He took a step forward.

"Stay right there." The voice warned, stopping Shadow in his tracks. "Rosso is setting up a trap to kill you. That's her mission, not to find something, but to get rid of you."  
"What are you talking about?" Shadow demanded.

The figure let out a sigh. "Deepground has recently come under new leadership."

"If the next words out of your mouth doesn't explain things a little..." Shadow began, unholstering his weapon. "I'm going to put a hole in your head."

His words were the flame that lit the fuse. The figure exploded in anger, but remained in the Shadows. "Stop being so god damn violent, you ungrateful son of a bitch!" The figure said. He pointed a finger at Shadow. "When have I ever led you astray? When have I ever lied to you. Just listen from now on, and you'll actually learn something. Weiss, your friend, is sick. He destroyed the Restrictor, the original leader of the Tsviets and all of Deepground. Upon doing so, they released a virus, and poof, Weiss's internal clock suddenly starts going faster. Weiss attempted to find a cure by performing a Synaptic Net Dive into the Worldwide Network. He found a cure alright. He didn't want it, but he got it. Before his death, Hojo, the head of the science department, created a virtual doppelganger and blah blah blah, you get where I'm going. In simplest terms, Hojo is controlling your friend, and since you are the only one who can compete physically with Weiss, he's having you crossed off the list of what could go wrong."

Shadow stared at the figure, dumb struck. His mind was racing to understand what had just transpired. "Well, that's a lot to absorb." Shadow said, blinking.

"It doesn't matter, what you need to know is Rosso is waiting for you to come upstairs so she can ambush you, not to worry, I have a plan."

"Yeah? What's that?" Shadow asked.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Shadow emerged from the hidden staircase that lead down to the library. Trying to act casual, he made his way through the halls of the old, decaying mansion. He reached the main staircase, moving down this slowly. He looked around, but couldn't see any sign of Rosso. "Maybe he was wrong." Shadow thought. Suddenly, the doors flew open. Deepground soldiers flooded into the main room.

"There he is." One of of them yelled. A heavy swords man moved to the front, his rocket launcher in hand.

"Oh shit." Shadow said, readying himself for a fight. He watched as the exhaust emitted from the barrel of the rocket launcher a split second before the rocket was launched. It was all the warning he needed. He quickly jumped away from the stairs, landing with his feet solidly on his walls. The MAKO infusion that was preformed when he had gone back to the Tsviets was definitely coming in handy. He still wasn't invulnerable, but he could fight back at least. The rocket flew into the stairs, exploding. Shadow jumped from the wall, gliding across the room and latching onto the opposite wall. In a flash, his weapon was in his hand. He fired at the soldiers, who ran for cover. Some of the swordsmen charged him, but found their attempts cut short by a barrage of bullets. Shadow dropped from the wall, rushing at the heavy sword. It attempted to draw his sword, but Shadow was too fast. He spun, bringing the sword up and slicing into it's chin. He cut cleanly through, causing it to fall back to the ground. The soldiers emerged from their hiding places, and began firing at Shadow. Shadow rolled around, and ducked, dodging the bullets until, finally, one of them threw a grenade. Shadow took his chance, raised his weapon in a flash, and fired. The bullet hit the grenade, detonating it just feet from the thrower. Five soldiers were thrown back by the blast, and Shadow lept up onto the second floor balcony. Sensing a presence above him. He looked up, seeing Rosso sitting on a window ledge. She pushed herself away from it, falling at Shadow. Shadow lifted his weapon to defend himself, but Rosso collided with him, the force sending him out the large window the decorated the back wall. He landed on the steep slope, sliding down roughly twelve feet. He lay perfectly still, while he was sure the Tsviet was checking to see if he had survived. Finally, he heard her voice, and then the sounds of movement coming from the distance, and fading away. He opened his eyes, and climbed to his feet slowly. He checked his arm, which he found bleeding.

"You couldn't come up with a plan that involved me not getting hit?" He asked, waiting for an answer. None came. "Are you at least going to tell me who you are yet?" Still no reply. Shadow let out a sigh, as he began walking back towards Edge.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Shadow got off the boat just as it docked in Junon. He was honestly surprised to find it still docking with Costa Del Sol regularly. The men didn't even bother to tie the boat to the dock, they simply turned around and set sail to return to their port. Shadow smirked as he took a moment to watch the boat sail off. And then he turned to the city. It had changed since he had last seen it. A lot darker, and grittier, Shadow guess caused by Shinra's absence. As he walked by an alley, a man emerged from it.

"Hey, you've got to pay to use this road." the man said. Shadow couldn't help but laugh.

"Who's going to enforce this toll? You possibly?" He said, looking the skinny man up and down.

"Don't challenge me, I work for the bull." the man said.

"The bull?" He said. Could it be the same person?

"Yeah, he owns this town. Use to own Midgar before the meteor fell, but why the fuck am I telling you this. Give me your fucking money!"

Shadow responded to the man by kicking him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. Shadow grabbed him by the collar and picked him off of the ground. A couple smacks to the face brought the man to. "Where can I find Bull?" He asked.

"Jeez, don't hit me anymore." The man pleaded. "He stays up at the old Shinra place, the old base."

"Thanks." Shadow said, tossing the man aside. He started in the direction of the military base, climbing to the top of Junon. As he approached the old Shinra base, he saw armed guards at the doors, as well as patrolling the area.

"Looks like you've been busy." Shadow said, hiding behind the corner of a building as a guard approached it. Just as the guard passed it, Shadow grabbed him by the head, and pulled violently. A crack echoed through the night as the guards body fell to the ground. Shadow dropped the head, and searched the body, find a set of keys. Pocketing them, he pulled out his weapon, and rushed around the corners. He fired two shots, killing both guards by the door. Other guards around the area opened fire at him, barely missing him as he ran full speed at the door. He lept at it, kicking forward and busting the door open. He quickly picked it up, putting it back into the hole, shielding himself from any further gunfire. He heard a door slide open behind him, and lept away just as more gunfire erupted. He twisted his body, bringing his weapon up to fire. He fired a shot straight into the man's head, the door behind him slid open, and he spun around to dispose of the guard, but was shocked to find himself looking at a familiar face.

"Shadow?" The man asked, shocked.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

The guard lowered his gun, as he stared at Shadow. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same question, Sythe." Shadow retorted, unlike his friend, he didn't lower his weapon.

"I work here, after Tashia died, and you vanished, her army disbanded, and I ended up working for this scum."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry to say this, but you're going to be unemployed soon." Shadow said. "Which way to your boss?"

"He's this way. I'll warn you though, don't take him lightly."

"That won't be a problem, I'll make short work of him. You just get out of here."

"I should stay, you may need help." Sythe started to protest, but Shadow cut him off.

"Get out of here! Find Hal, and get us an army."

"Shadow? What exactly are you planning?" Sythe asked, uncertain.

"I'll tell you later, just go." Shadow said, shoving him out of the way. He started to make his way down the hall.

"Make sure you don't vanish this time." Sythe called after him. Shadow stopped outside of a door.

"Don't worry about it, compared to me, Bull is a freaking teddy bear."

==##==

Bull sat in the CEO office, his boots propped up on the desk. In front of him, his man was trying to explain the situation through a sad combination of blubbering and stuttering. Finally, Bull had enough of it. He pulled out a rifle he kept next to him, and shot the man in the chest.

"You." he said, pointing the rifle at one of the guards that stood by the door. "You now have his job, so you can explain what's going on."

"Well, um, sir, from the sounds of things, there's an intruder, and he's making his way here." The guard explained.

"And?"

"And, he's probably coming to kill you."

"And?"

"And, our forces haven't been able to stop him."

"And?"

"And what sir?"

"Are you actually entertaining the possibility that he could kill me?"

"Well, sir, he had made it this far."

"Oh." Bull said, smiling. He pulled the trigger on the rifle, blowing half the man's face away. He turned the gun on the final person in the room. "And now you have his job, congrats on the promotion, now go kill the intruder." Bull said, staring at the guard. The guard turned to open the door, but was knocked back as it burst open. Shadow charged into the room, standing before Bull.

"I knew it was you!" Shadow said.

"One second." Bull said, holding up a finger. He pointed the gun at the guard, who was now laying on the floor, and pulled the trigger. "You failed." he said to the corpse, and then turned his attention back to Shadow. "Do I know you?"

"That's a surprise. Fang, Ferret and Mantis all recognized me instantly."

"Hmm, those names sound familiar. You do have to forgive me, but I try not to waste my time with the small time criminals. Ever since they failed to kill our former comrade, I've found them..." He was cut off as realization spread across his face. It was quickly replaced by a vicious grin. He threw his head back, letting out a laugh. "Well, I'll be damned." Bull said, his tone now serious once again. "If it isn't the little thief."

"I'm not the thief, you were, you all were."

"You had no problem helping us until that day." Bull said, throwing his desk out of the way.

"You robbed a bunch of orphans. Homeless children. What did you expect?"

"You to obey like the dog you are. It doesn't matter anymore though, I'm going to kill you right here and now." Bull said, raising his rifle and aiming at Shadow's head.


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Just before Bull managed to pull the trigger and end everything, the doors burst open. For a split second, Bull's guard dropped as he looked at the door, surprised. Shadow used this to his advantage. He jumped sideways, landing the opposite side. He had no sooner hit the ground, then a gun shot rang out and splinters showered down on top of him. Gunshots rang out from the direction of the doorway, followed by heavy footsteps fleeing away. Shadow poked his head just far enough out of his hiding place to see what was going on. Sythe stood in the open door, his weapon aimed and firing at Bull as he fled through a hidden door in the back of the room. Shadow jumped to his feet, and, ignoring Sythe, ran after him. He ran through the small, dark tunnel until he finally emerged into the light cast by the setting sun. He looked around, finding himself on the runway. He saw Bull running, in the distance, towards a plane and immediately started off after him. He could heard the footsteps of Sythe a few yards behind him. Bull jumped into the plane, and started it. Shadow reached the plane as it started rolling forward. The plane quickly accelerated up to speed, and began to slowly pull away from Shadow as he ran at top speed. Finally, the plane began to lift into the air, forcing Shadow to make a quick decision. Most people would of admitted defeat, and let their enemy get away, but Shadow, instead, jumped at the landing gear, grasping onto it as the plane lifted into further into the air. The plane passed Sythe, who was running at it below. Sythe threw his gun to Shadow, who grabbed it with one hand. He slipped the gun over his shoulder, and with effort, began to pulled himself up. The plane was about a hundred feet in the air when Shadow finally managed to climb up to a point where he could stand. He carefully lifted his head to the window, spotting Bull in the pilot's seat. He carefully grabbed the passenger handle, and tried to open it but found it locked. He tugged a little harder, but still to no avail. Getting impatient, he slid back down onto the landing gear, and carefully made his way to the other side of the plane. He slowly climbed up the pilot's side of the plane and made sure he had a good grip with one of his hands. He slammed his open hand as hard as he could into the pilot's window. He easily broke through, catching Bull by surprise. Bull gasped as Shadow grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out of the window. Bull flew it easily, and began to fall, but grabbed onto Shadow's leg. Shadow, caught by surprise, was torn away from the plane, and the two began to fall. Bull began to scream as he fell, but Shadow wasn't out of fight yet. He grabbed Bull by the throat, and hit him in the face as hard as he could. Bull stopped yelling, his eyes wide, as Shadow brought his knee up into Bull's crotch. Bull locked his legs around Shadow's leg, and brought his hands up, pushing his thumbs against Shadow's eyes. Shadow tried to pull away, but Bull had a firm grip on him.

"I'll kill you before we land. At least that will mean something. I am the one who killed The Shadow." Bull gloated, happily.

"Wrong!" Shadow yelled, drawing his gunblade. Bull grabbed Shadow's hand, stopping him from cutting him with the blade, and laughed, not knowing exactly what Shadow's weapon was capable of. Shadow pulled the trigger, shooting Bull in the crotch, and making him scream in agony. Bull let go of Shadow and grabbed his crotch in pain. Shadow brought his weapon up and fired a shot into Bull's head, killing him. Shadow looked down, the ground coming up fast. He closed his eyes, preparing for the impact.

"Aerith, I'm sorry." He said, and then there was darkness.


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

"Why are you sorry?" Aerith asked Shadow. He turned to face her, looking her in the eyes.

"It's not these marks," Shadow began, removing his jacket and revealing the lines caused by him exposing himself to MAKO again. "that make me a monster. I made myself the monster."

"You're not a monster." Aerith said. "You just have misguided opinions. There's nothing monstrous about your feelings, just the way you go about them."

"But, some of the things I've done... I can't take them back."

"And what have you done? You have done nothing wrong."

"I've killed people Aerith. I joined Soldier."

"You joined Soldier to protect me. You did nothing wrong their. You killed people because you had to, you've never killed anyone for wrong reasons. Shadow, you are a good person, you just have to see that, and do things the right way."

"It's too late for that. I'm dead. I can't change the way I was if I'm dead."

"What if you weren't dead."

"But I am."

"Are you?"

"Yes, I fell out of a fucking plane!" Shadow yelled, angrily.

"No, you're not dead. You'll wake up in a moment."

"What?"

"Someone saved you."

"Who?"

"A friend."

"Who?" Shadow asked again. Aerith smiled at him.

"You'll find out when the time is right. For now, wake up." She said, and slowly, the field of flowers began to fade away.

==##==

Shadow awoke laying face down in a dark alleyway. Other than the wounds caused directly by Bull, he found himself seemingly unhurt. Still, he was sore from the fight. He rolled over lazily, laying with his back against the cool cement. Finally, after a few minutes, he climbed to his feet. His entire body ached, but he'd live.

"Well, I can't think of where to start with the questions." He said, looking over his shoulder. Deeper in the alley, the familiar outline of a man stood.

"I see you've begun to sense my presence." The figure said.

"No, I just figure when some fucked up shit happens, you have to be nearby. So how'd I live?" Shadow asked, turning towards the man.

"If I told you, that'd ruin the all the fun." The figure said. "I'll give you a hint though, the only person you have to thank is yourself." With that, the man turned and began to walk away into the darkness. "By the way, Deepground is on the way here to completely destroy the city, so I suggest you get out of here as soon as possible."

"I'll take that into consideration." Shadow said, walking towards the street.


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Shadow ran out into the street, tripping over a loose stone, he fell into the street. The jeep skidded to a stop inches from him.

"Shadow?" Sythe called from the driver seat.

"Yeah, it's me." Shadow answered, climbing to his feet.

"I knew you'd come out on top." Sythe said, climbing out of the jeep to help him.

"Yeah, whatever, listen, we need to get the hell out of here, and fast." Shadow said.

"What? Is something wrong."

"Bad people, worse unpeople. I'll explain on the way. We need to head to Edge." He said, climbing into the passenger seat. Sythe ran back to the driver side, and jumped in. He floored the gas pedal, speeding off towards the exit of town. They sped through the streets, passing people who were looking out of their windows to see what he commotion was.

"So what's going on?" Sythe asked as he drove.

"A secret organization created by Shinra as a subdivision of SOLDIER has been gathering an army to take over the world, and they're about to attack Junon for reasons unknown to myself." Shadow said matter of factly.

Sythe blinked, his mouth hanging open. "Um..."

"It's like I said, bad people coming to do bad things to this town."

"Well, we can't just leave, we have to help these people." Sythe argued.

"Yeah, sure, we'll evacuate thousands of people while a group of Super Soldiers march on the city to destroy it. I mean, I'm sure I can take on an army by myself while you cart four people out of the town at a time.

"Well, you are Shadow." Sythe pointed out.

"Listen kid, at one point I was one of them, that's how strong these guys are."

"Ah, so is that what happened to you? The lines all over you I mean?" Sythe asked. Shadow looked away.

"Yeah, they infused me with some special MAKO or something, I don't ask, I'm just a Soldier. A warrior. All I'm good for is fighting."

"I know what you mean, I've been a Soldier for most of my adult life. It's hard to find something else to do after you kill people. It was either joining Bull, or the WRO."

"The WRO? I've heard that name before."

"It's kind of like the defenders of the planet. It's headed by the former Urban development manager of Shinra, Reeve Tuesti. It's full name is the World Regenesis Organization."

"Hmm, where is the WRO?" Shadow asked, intrigued.

"It's somewhere in the old Midgar area. Why?"

"Change of plans, we're heading there."

"What? We don't even know where it is." Sythe argued.

"We'll find it." Shadow said.


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The jeep sped through the rough terrain of the Midgar area, the two men occupying it searching for the base of the WRO. Shadow heard the hissing of the rocket before he saw it. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the wheel of the vehicle and spun it wildly, turning the jeep out of the way just as the rocket hit the ground that would have been where the jeep had been, shaking the entire vehicle.

"What the hell!" Sythe exclaimed, steering to avoid another missile. Shadow scanned their surroundings, spotting their attackers.

"Deepground!" He warned, pulling his weapon. "Find the head quarters and get us some help." added, jumping out of jeep, hitting the ground running. The jeep sped off to safety as Shadow rushed the soldiers in front of him. He spun as another rocket was launched, slicing it cleanly in half, causing it to shoot off into different directions. He shot at the men, causing them to return fire. Using his gunblade to deflect some of the shots, he jumped back in forth, almost as if he was doing some insane dance, dodging the ones he couldn't deflect. Finally, he reached the group of men. He tore into them, slicing and striking out as those he could reach, and shooting those he couldn't. A dog like creature ran up behind him, and began biting his ankle. Shadow quickly aimed and fired, putting a hole straight into the dog's head.

"I hate gods." he said, as he continued to tear the soldiers apart one by one. In the end of it all, he stood alone, blood dripping from him, none of it was his. The bodies littered the ground around him, what may have been fifteen men dead. In the silence, he heard sounds of a struggle. He quickly ran off in the direction, making his way over a hill. He could tell from the sound of things, that the struggle was just on the other side of it. He quickly began to ascend the hill, climbing hastily towards the top. Upon reaching it, he found himself looking down at a group of men defending a van. He recognized one of them immediately.

"Well, if it isn't Mister Valentine." He said, a smile spreading over his face. He began making his way down the slope, heading to the aid of his acquaintance. He began firing his weapon at those who approached the van, his gunshots mixing in with the rest, echoing into the night sky. He didn't take long to make his allegiance known, shooting a dog just as it lept at one of the men. He walked up to the side of Vincent, both of the firing repeatedly into the groups of foes that approached. Finally, the waves of men stopped, and the men defending the truck managed to relax.

"Long time no see Vinny." Shadow said, turning to him.

"I'm surprised to see you as well, Shadow was it?"

"Yup, so I was on my way to find the WRO when I noticed you guys in your predicament. Couldn't help but join your fun."

"Well, you've found them." One of the men said, walking out of the back of the van. "Reeve Tuesti, at your service."


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Shadow lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Below him, Sythe snored quietly. Their room was small, basically just big enough to hold their beds. Shadow was not impressed with the way he had been treated so far. He found himself trapped in the facility, while people moved about him, following orders, and going on assignments. Vincent himself seemed to be busy every other day. Meanwhile Shadow just sat, collecting dust for the past few weeks. Nothing had happened, nothing worth noting at least. Hell, even Sythe seemed to get more attention than Shadow, being assigned to weekly patrols of the surrounding area. Shadow tried to close his eyes, tried to force himself to sleep, but he couldn't. He felt something. Something major was going to happen, and soon, he just didn't know what. They had already been attacked, luckily they managed to suppress the attacks. Everyone was talking how they had two Tsviets captive, Shadow conveniently avoided telling them that the true number of Tsviets on base was three. That could be one of the reasons he was left alone now that he thought about it. It just didn't seem too smart to admit something like that. Just as Shadow was coming close to falling asleep, an alarm sounded. He shot up, banging his head against the ceiling. He fell back to the pillow, rubbing his forehead.

"Shadow, get up!" Sythe yelled, jumping up under him. "We're under attack." He continued, as he pulled on his pants. Shadow rolled out of the bed, landing on his feet. He quickly dressed, and both and he and Sythe exited the the room, emerging into the hallway. They saw men running back and forth, but all the men seemed to be theirs.

"What's going on?" Sythe asked one of the men, grabbing him by the arm.

"There's a huge force heading this way, and one of the prisoners has broken loose." he said. "The prisoner was heading for the medical area."

"That's our cue." Shadow said, he lept over the rail, falling the six stories to the ground floor.

"Show off!" Sythe called after him. "I'm gonna take the stairs."

Shadow acknowledge him with a look back, and sped off towards the ward. He weaved through the men whom were rushing to their battle area, pushing on or two of them out of the way. It was time, he was finally going to get his chance to show himself as the best of the best. His only question was which of his two former allies had escaped. The Cerulean or The Transparent? As he neared the medical area, it became apparent. The path of carnage was obviously the work of Azul. He pushed open the door to the medical ward, Azul standing inside. Beneath him, the body of one of WRO's head scientist, Shalua Rui.

"I was hoping it'd be you." Shadow said, entering the room. Azul looked up, a malicious grin spreading across his face.

"Well, if it isn't our lost brethren. We've been looking for you."

"And now you've found me. So it's time for you to step away from the woman, or die." Shadow said. As soon as he had said these words, he realized his mistake. His weapon was still upstairs. Azul turned to face him. Instead of speaking, he raised his massive weapon. Shadow swallowed nervously.

"Shadow, you forgot something." Sythe said, entering the room. Azul twisted, and fired. The huge shell hit Sythe in the chest, knocking him into the air, and sending him flying back. Shadow watched as Sythe slammed against the wall, and fell to the floor. He was dead before he had even left the ground. Shadow turned back towards Azul, his eyes changing from orange to blood red.

"This could be interesting." Azul mocked, reloading his weapon.

Shadow's animalistic side was once again controlling him.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

"I'll kill you!" Shadow said, his voice filled with rage. He glared at the monster of a man before him. The weapon laying next to the corpse of his friend was left forgotten as Shadow charged at Azul. Azul raised his weapon and fired. The giant shell shot towards Shadow, but was thrown off course as Shadow batter it away with a back hand. Azul swung his weapon like a club, hitting Shadow hard and launching him across the room. He slammed into the wall, breaking through it. He brushed off the rubble, and jumped to his feet. He quickly charged Azul again, and once again Azul swung his weapon like a club. Shadow ducked the swing, and jumped onto his opponent. Locking his legs around Azul's head, he began bashing his fist against the top of his head. Azul grabbed him with both hands, and threw Shadow off of him. Shadow flipped mid air, pressing his feet against the wall. He pushed off with all his strength, shooting at Azul. Azul stepped to the side, grabbing Shadow and throwing him, adding to Shadow's velocity. Shadow slammed against the large security door, falling to the floor. Shadow's arm was bent backwards, undoubtedly broken. Shadow climbed to his feet, his rage starting to subside.

"Do I have to do everything around here?" A voice asked. The image before Shadow froze, as the familiar voice spoke again. "Fine, just take a freaking nap and I'll do what you can't."

Shadow was overcome with fatigue. He collapsed to his knees, and then fell forward onto the ground. He attempted to lift himself, but soon his vision was overcome with darkness.

==##==

Shadow awoke in the medical bay, laying on a bed. He had awoken just in time for the doctor to align his arm correctly. Shadow winced as the pain shot through him, the doctor pulling on the arm to straighten it.

"You're a lucky man." The doctor said. "You have several broke bones in your left arm, three broken ribs, you've also taken trauma to the spine, so you'll be in bed for a few... where do you think you're going!"

Shadow climbed off of the bed, bulling all of the wires and tubes off of him.

"I demand you lay back down." The doctor said. "You have injuries not untypical of those of being hit by a car. You have several concussions. You have suffered spinal trauma. You're lucky to be alive, let alone walk."

Shadow grabbed the doctor by the collar. "First off, I've been hit by a car, and it's nothing compared to this! Secondly, I don't take orders from anyone! Lastly, I'm going to heal just fine without your help." With these words, Shadow pushed the man away, causing him to stumble and trip. "And by the way, I hate doctors. I'm going to go find Azul, and the rest of the Tsviets, and I'm going to rib them all limb from limb."

"Sure, why not." The doctor said, mockingly. "You won't even make it off the ship."

"Ship?"

"Yes, ship. You're on board the Shera, the jewel of the Highwind Air Force. Besides, where do you think we're going? They're planning to strike against Deepground."


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Shadow sat in his seat at the head of one of the transport ships. The attack was only minutes away, and he had volunteered to fly one of the ships into battle. He had a lot of responsibility for the battle. His ship was the very ship that housed the man that many people considered the hope of the battle, Vincent Valentine. Shadow was actually quite nervous, he hadn't flown since his short period as a SOLDIER. Even then, it was a plane and not an airship. Luckily, he had a copilot right next to him. Cid's voice shocked him, as it came over the radio. It was time to commence the attack. Shadow slowly pushed the throttle forward, bringing the ship up to cruising speed. The airships started forward, close to thirty in all. Below them, trucks raced towards Midgar, filled with fighters. Shadow didn't know the details, but he had been told that they had some major help for the upcoming battle. Still, Shadow personally fell unprotected. His custom weapon had been forgotten at the headquarters, and all he had was standard gear, a rifle and a short sword.

"Incoming missiles." The copilot warned.

Shadow watched as the missiles flew at them, most would miss their targets, but Shadow clenched the flight wheel in front of him. He jerked it to the left, moving the ship out of the way just as one flew nearby. Another one passed one the other side, narrowly missing the ship.

"You must truly be an expert pilot sir." The copilot complimented.

Shadow looked at him, wide eyed, sweating, and white knuckled. "Sure, you think that." He said, looking back out the windshield in front of them. The copilot stared at Shadow confused.

"You do have flight experience right?" he asked.

"Of course I do... eight years ago I did some standard flight training with Soldier."

The copilot didn't get to respond as a barrage of bullets shot into the ship, crashing through the windshield. The copilot took one of the rounds to his head, and collapsed. So did most of the crew behind them.

"Shit!" Shadow said, staring at the dead copilot. "Ok, concentrate and I can make it through this. If I die now, I can't kill the Tsviets." He told himself. Just then, his vision was replaced. He was down on the ground, but still in Midgar. He looked around, until spotting Azul. Azul walked past him, his giant gun in his hands. He watched as Azul aimed the gun into the sky. He looked up, seeing the Shera flying overhead.

"Oh shit!" Shadow said, as Azul fired his weapon at the airship. The round blew a hole through the ship, sending it flying to the ground. It exploded on impact.

Back at the helm of his airship, he spotted the Shera just off to his right. He threw the throttle forward, speeding to the side of the ship. He didn't even wait for the shot, he turned and ran for the back of the ship. He heard the explosion behind him as the round tore into the ship. He ran as the explosion started, he could feel the heat of the flame on his back. He kicked the door to the main hold open.

"Time to go!" he yelled to the men waiting to launch. Vincent looked at him, and then turned back forward, kicking off as the ship was engulfed in flames. The force of the explosion threw Shadow from the ship, launching him threw the air. As he began to fall, he noticed a rocket fired by one of the WRO's attack ships. He grabbed it, being pulled along with it as it flew towards the enemy. He drew both his sword and rifle, and lept from the rocket just as it collided with the enemy. Shadow landed a few feet away from the impact, an army in front of him. He charged the army, firing his rifle. As soon as it ran out of ammo, he threw it away, and began swinging his sword madly. The Deepground soldiers rushed him, attacking him, but he parried, and countered his way threw the massive groups, making his way to the center of the city.


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Shadow made his way through the surprisingly empty slums of Midgar, though he could definitely make out the faint sounds of battle in the distance. Having run out of ammunition a while back, he had discarded his rifle, leaving him only with his sword. Noting his location, he made a slight detour through the Sector Eight slums. He came across the old church, it's condition was slowly deteriorating, causing it to collapse on itself. He pushed the door, causing it to fall over, snapping it's hinges. Shadow stared at the fallen door, and then slowly scanned the rest the building. He thought about Aerith, and the memories they shared of the place. The garden was gone, replaced by a small pond of water that came directly from the lifestream. He slowly entered the Church, passing each row of destroyed pews. He kicked a bit of rubble, the remains of one of the support pillars.

"How fitting it should happen here." Came a voice from behind him. Shadow turned, finding himself face to face with someone he hadn't seen in years.

"Hello, my son." David said, reaching his hand out to Shadow.

"You killed me." Shadow said, taking a step forward. "If you weren't already dead, I'd return the favor."

"You were going to risk your life, the same way you are now. You're too important to die needlessly. You're time will come, sooner than you think."

"You going to try and kill me again?"

"Yes, that's why I'm here. I need to put you to rest until the time is right, so you may complete your destiny."

"I won't let you!" Shadow said, drawing his sword.

"You can't fight me Shadow. You can not physically harm me."

Shadow felt his energy slowly being sapped away from him. He rushed at David, slashing at him. He went right through him.

"I told you, you can't harm me." David said, turning to face Shadow. "Don't worry, it'll be like a long nap."

Desperately, Shadow attacked again. Once again, his weapon merely went through David's form. Shadow collapsed, landing on his side. His sword slid away from him, falling through one of the cracks in the floor.

"Come now Shadow, there's no need to resist. It's going to be time to wake up before you know it."

"I'll... I'll stop you." Shadow said weakly.

"You can't, you don't have the power." David said.

Slowly, Shadow's vision turned into blackness. Just before he lost consciousness, he heard another voice, a familiar voice, and somehow, he knew that he'd be OK.

"But I do have the power, father." The voice said. It was followed by darkness and silence.

==##==

When Shadow awoke, he was moving through the slums, night had fallen. It took him a moment to realize that he was leaning up against someones shoulder.

"Cyrus." Shadow asked. He was still feeling weak and powerless.

"I have to get you to safety. Not out of Midgar, but safe." The person carrying his weight replied. Shadow knew from the voice that it wasn't Cyrus. It was the voice of the figure that had been following him. Unfortunately, with his vision blurred so badly, Shadow couldn't see what he looked like.


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85

The fighting was over by the time Shadow awakened. He had no idea where he was, or even how he had got their. Suddenly, it all came flooding back to him. His father's second attempt to kill him, the mysterious stranger saving his life once again. Who was he? That was one of many questions that Shadow was determined to learn. Shadow stood up, looking around the dark cavern that encircled him. Suddenly, a burst of energy tore through the cavern. It through him back, slamming against the wall. Shadow groggily stood up, and began walking in the direction the blast came from. He stopped upon hearing voices.

"It is not yet time for slumber..." The voice said. Shadow instantly recognized it.

"Genesis?" Shadow said keeping his voice low. He slowly poke his head around the corner, peering into a large cavern. Sure enough, Genesis stood in the center of the room, Weiss lay in his arm.

"We still have much work to do, my brother." Genesis continued, looking straight at Shadow. Before Shadow could react, Genesis, much to Shadows surprise, spread a single black wing, and shot off into the sky, taking Weiss with him. Shadow entered the large chamber, walking to the spot the two men had stood. He looked up, looking through the hole in the ceiling. The two men were long gone, leaving him alone. Looking back down, he saw Weiss's two personal weapons, Heaven and Earth. Shadow grabbed the two weapons, and began searching for his way out of the cavern. Finally, he found a small slope the lead up a hole in the ceiling of the chamber. He quickly climbed it, and found himself in the center of a decimated Midgar.

"What the hell happened while I was out?" He asked himself, as he slowly began walking. Eventually, he managed to make his way through the wreckage, and find his way out of Midgar. As he moved through the wastes, he began to feel a presence. It was strong, and it was approaching fast. He stared in the direction that it was coming from, and was shocked when Cyrus emerged at the top of the hill in front of Shadow. Cyrus sped towards Shadow in a jeep, weaving around the wreckage left from the battle only a day earlier. The jeep skidded to a stop a few feet from Shadow.

"Get in, it's time!" Cyrus said.

"What are you talking about?" Shadow questioned.

"Come on, they're right behind us!" Cyrus said, his voice urgent. Their was a roar of an engine, causing Shadow to snap his head in the direction it had come from. From over the hill, speeding towards him and Cyrus, a group of trucks sped towards them. Shadow jumped into the seat of the Jeep, and Cyrus sped forward, trying to escape the trucks.

"Who are they?" Shadow said, aiming one of his new weapons at the truck. He pulled the trigger, sending a single burst shooting at the truck. Unfortunately, unlike Velvet Nightmare, neither Earth or Heaven were capable of firing repeated firing. Shadow quickly switched weapons, and fired again. This shot hit the tire of the truck, causing it to veer out of control and flip over. The other trucks continued to speed at them.

"I'll explain later, for now we have to get to the WRO headquarters. Our ride is waiting for us there."

"What do you mean?" Shadow demanded.

"Just trust me." Cyrus said, focusing on driving. He reached into his pocket, a pulled a tiny shard out. "Take this." he told Shadow, who without a second though, grabbed the Shard. Immediately, the shard dug into his hand.

"AH! What the fuck Cyrus." Shadow said, rubbing his hand. The wound was already gone.

"It's a piece of the Neo Materia." Cyrus said. "In a few seconds, you're going to hate me."

"What are you..." Shadow began, but was cut off when pain racked through his body. His veins burned, he looked down at them, watching them as they slowly changed from bright orange, to white. Then, they stopped, and he could no longer see them. Suddenly, he felt pain rip through his entire body. The pain was so intense, it caused Shadow to black out.


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Shadow awoke in the familiar field of flowers, and vast whiteness. He sat up, staring at his arms. All his scars, all the marks of MAKO, they were gone. The climbed to his feet, looking around him.

"Aerith?" He asked, looking around. He didn't see her.

"Not exactly." A voice answered. It was that of Shadow's unknown ally. Shadow turned, finding himself face to face, at last, with the owner of the face.

"What?" Shadow asked, stunned by what he saw.

"Surprise!" The man said. Shadow continued to stare at him, confused. "Yeah, I thought you'd act something like that. Not to worry, I'll explain eventually."

"But you look..." Shadow began.

"Just like you?" The man said. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"But, I don't understand." Shadow said.

"You are Shadow. The orphan boy who once upon a time was known as... Now don't get jumpy!" Shadow's Doppleganger said angrily, as Shadow shifted into a defense position.

"What's going on here!" Shadow demanded. The doppelganger let out a sigh.

"As I was saying, you are Shadow. I am, in a sense, you. I am Damian, which by the way, is your name, whether you like it or not. I was locked away upon your birth, sealing your power, blah blah blah. Basically, once you pass the test you get all your powers back, plus some. Strength, speed, healing, you get the full house."

"But, if they were sealed, how did I already have them?" Shadow asked.

"We're talking about the fucking Neo Materia here, what could possibly neutralize it's power. Anyway, shut up, and pick your weapons so that you can fail, and I can laugh." The Doppleganger said.

"Well, Damian, I don't really believe you, so if you don't mind, I really should get back to reality so I can help my brother."

"Ah, ok." Damian said. Shadow turned to walk away, but for some reason, the field hadn't vanished. Shadow turned back towards Damian. "Oh, right, I should speak simpler. I'm going to try and kill you, you have to beat me in order to live, and I also kind of have control of your mind, so yeah." As he spoke, a twin set of gunblades appeared in both Shadow's and Damian's hands. "Now, where to start... I know." As he said this, a house appeared around them. Shadow recognized the house from his visions. His family's house. "Are you ready?"

"Now hold on a damn minute!" Shadow said angrily.

"TOO BAD!" Damian yelled, speeding towards Shadow. Shadow barely was able to get his weapons up in time to block the attack.


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Shadow flew through the wall, looking wide eyed at Damian, who stood in the opposite side of it. As the splinters spun through the air, almost as if in slow motion, Damian gently brush one aside and step through the hole, following Shadow. Shadow hit the ground hard, but managed to roll out of the way as Damian slashed downward with his weapons. Shadow jumped to his feet, but was met with a side kick from Damian. Shadow flew through the window, and fell the full two stories to the street below. Damian stood in the window, looking down on Shadow.

"What, you don't like this field?" He asked. "Fine." The surroundings vanished, replaced by the mountains of Nibelheim. Damian lept from the peak of the mountain, thrusting his gunblade downward at Shadow's head. Shadow rolled backwards, dodging the attack, but falling off the ledge. He landed hard inside a cave. A huge roar filled the the cave, and Shadow looked up to see a Behemoth charging him. In a flash, Damian appeared between him, and the Behemoth, and cleaved the Behemoth cleanly in half. The two halves slid harmlessly past both Damian and Shadow, sliding out of the cave. With out even turning around, Damian stabbed his sword upward into the ceiling of the Cave, causing it to start to collapse. He kicked one of the falling boulders, which struck Shadow in the chest. Shadow flew backwards, finally hitting the ground, and sliding out of the exit. However, instead of exiting the cave, he found himself fly out of the large barrel of the Junon cannon. Shadow managed to grab hold of the edge, and hang helplessly.

"Come on, you pussy!" Damian said, leaping out of the barrel. He flipped in the air, and landed softly on top of the cannon. Shadow glared at him, but using strength hidden deep with him, flung himself up on top of it as well.

"Let's make this more interesting." Damian said. He spun, turning his back to Shadow, and made s horizontal slash downward with his sword. All stood still for a moment, and then the cannon gave way, and began to fall. Damian spun back around, and rushed at Shadow. Shadow lept into the air, causing Damian to go right underneath him. Damian turned to face Shadow again, but Shadow was faster. He was face to face from Damian, inches from him. He swung hard, but Damian, despite the close quarters, managed to deflect the blow and kicked Shadow hard in the stomach. Shadow flew backwards, landing near the edge of the Canon that Damian had cut away. The two where falling quickly, only seconds from impact.

"Time for a change!" Damian said. Once again the surrounding area vanished, replaced by the old church in Midgar. Shadow looked around, but Damian was no where to be found. Suddenly, a loud roar shook the ground. Shadow looked up, and through a whole in the roof, he could see the plate falling towards him. Shadow lept up onto the roof, staring up as the plate fell towards him.

"You'd better run." Damian said, appearing next to him. Shadow stared at him a moment, contemplating the idea of fleeing before the plate crashed into the Sector 8 slums.

"The Sector 8 Slums" Shadow said aloud. Damian stared at him, curious.

"What about it?" Damian asked.

Shadow didn't answer, but instead lept from the roof of the church with all his strength. He sped upward, towards the falling the plate. Damian watched him intently, wondering what Shadow could possibly do to stop the plate from falling. As Shadow ascended, he began spinning in the air. The rest happened in a flash. Shadow shot up, slicing through the plate. Damian's eyes could barely keep up with Shadow, as he shot back and forth across the plate. The plate split in half, then into quarters. In seconds, it's was reduced into thousands of small pieces, but Shadow would never have enough time to cut them in small enough pieces that they would destroy the slums. Then, something happened that even Damian didn't understand. Shadow began to glow, a blinding white light flashed, and a force hit Damian that was so strong, it pushed him down through the roof of the church, sending him crashing down into the floor. As the dust cleared, Damian saw Shadow falling towards him, ready to strike.


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88

"Not yet!" Damian yelled, rolling out of the way. Shadow crashed into the ground with amazing force, a crater forming around him. Damian jumped to his feet, and managed to get his gunblades up just in time to block Shadow's attack. The blow threw Damian backwards. Damian landed on his feet, and seeing that Shadow was winded, decided to rub salt in the wounds.

"Anything you can do, I can do better." Damian taunted. Shadow bounded towards him, but Damian was ready. He spun, throwing the shorter of the two gunblades at Shadow. Shadow deflected the blade, but was shocked that by the time Damian completed his rotation, he had a new gunblade in his hand. He threw that one as well, forcing Shadow to leap to the side. Another, and another, the barrage was unrelenting as Shadow hopped, dove, and spun out of the path of the flying blades. Finally, fed up with his opponent's tactics, Shadow grabbed one of the flying blades, and threw it back at Damian. Damian dove out of the way, and rolled as he hit the ground, landing on his feet.

"Time for another change of scenery." Damian said, and the surrounding area disappeared. Some sort of temple appeared in front of Shadow and Damian.

"What the hell?" Damian exclaimed, shocked.

"Where the hell are we this time." Questioned Shadow, preparing to resume the fight.

Damian looked at him calmly. "Not a fucking clue, it's supposed to be the old SOLDIER training camp."

Suddenly, the doors to the temple flew open, causing a blinding light to shine onto Damian and Shadow. When the light faded, Shadow was sitting in the jeep next to Cyrus, as it sped through the waste land. A huge fortress like building looming in front of them.

"Looks like we lost them," Cyrus said, looking into the mirror. "and not a moment too soon, eh bro?"

Shadow didn't respond, but instead, stared at the looming building.

"Bro?" Cyrus asked, looking over at his brother. "Damn, looks like you've been through hell in back."

Shadow pondered on telling his brother about what happened, but instead chose to keep it to himself. Instead he said, "Yeah, something like that."

Cyrus looked at him, confused, but said nothing. Together, the two brothers drove onward, heading towards the WRO headquarters.

==##==

The jeep slowed to a stop outside, and was approached by the armed guards. "What is your business here!" Demanded one of the guards.

"We need to see R..." Cyrus began, but Shadow cut him off.

"I'm a member, let us in." He said.

"Do you have your ID?" The guard asked. Shadow quickly flashed his ID, and they were given the clearance needed to enter the base. Once inside, Cyrus spoke.

"You joined the WRO?" He asked.

"Yeah, me and a friend of mine. You actually caught me on my way back from the battle for Midgar."

"Oh, well I didn't realize you'd been so busy." Cyrus said, as the two brothers climbed the stairs, heading for Reeve's office. Upon reaching it, they knocked.

"Enter." The voice said from inside it.


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Shadow lifted himself slowly out of the rubble, the blast had caught all three men by surprise. He could hear alarms blaring all around him, mixed with the sound of panicked voices, and men rushing back and force. A few feet away from him, Cyrus and Reeve were also climbing to their feet. Looking our of the whole blown in the wall, Shadow could see what looked like thousands of men rushing towards the WRO headquarters.

"We don't have much time, I'll have Cid meet us on the roof, and we can make our escape." Reeve said.

"Actually, I have something else in mind." Shadow said, smiling. He slowly drew Heaven and Earth from their sheaths. "Why don't you two go ahead, and I'm going to have some fun."

"Shadow, now is not the time." Cyrus tried to reason. "We must find the Neo Materia as quickly as possible."

Shadow ignored his brother, and lept through the hole blown in the side of the building. As he shot out, over the crowd of men that had gathered, preparing to battle. Once Shadow had cleared the WRO soldiers, and flew over the crowd of the unknown enemy, he fired two shots into the ground before slamming into the men. The men quickly organized, ready to fight, but none had the skill needed to defeat Shadow. He cut into the men, spilling their blood and insides as he savagely began to butcher the foes. As Shadow continued his assault, he found that the enemy slowly began to get stronger, and stronger. Eventually, a single man, different from the other, lesser Soldiers, appeared.

"You must be the fabled Neo warrior." the man said, his large Axe on his shoulder was stained with blood.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Shadow said, pausing his slaughter. In the distance, the sounds of battle being waged at the front lines could be heard. He noticed that soldiers has encircled him, and the other man, but hadn't attacked.

"Oh yes, you're definitely him. The one who was prophecised to destroy the Materia, and bring peace to the world."

Shadow could help but laugh, as the man looked at him strangely. Finally, he managed to calm himself down enough to speak again. "Me? Bring peace to the world? Now I know you're nuts. I've killed more people in my life then any man I know. Why am I even talking to you?"

"Whatever, whether you admit it or not, I will stop you here." The man said, taking his Axe into his hands. "My Axe is stained with the blood of thousands, and soon, your's will deepen the color. That is the way of Durge, the Prince of Neo."

"Prince huh, don't think I've killed a prince before. Congratulations on being my first." Shadow said, raising his weapons, and preparing to fight the man. Durge charged at Shadow with shocking speed, catching Shadow off guard. The blade of the Axe slammed sideways against Shadow side, causing him to fly a few feet and land hard on the ground.

"OK, you're faster than you look." Shadow said, climbing to his feet. "But I'm faster." Before Durge had a chance to react, Shadow was behind him in a flash. He thrust one of his blades deep into the spine of the warrior, and stepped back to admire his work. To his surprise, Durge simply turned and looked at him.

"You're stronger than I suspected." He said calmly. He grabbed the hilt of the gunblade, and pulled it from his flesh. He threw it to the ground at Shadow's feet. "But it'll take more than that to kill the Prince of Neo."


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Before Shadow could act again, the Shera flew over head, going towards the building. "About time they showed up." Shadow said, watching as the ship descended low enough for the people on the roof to board it.

"That's a shame, but at least I still get to end you." Durge said, rushing at Shadow. His Axe raised above his head, he swung it downward in an arc, aiming to cleave Shadow's head in two. The blow connected, but the outcome is not what Durge had hoped for. The blade of the Axe had bent around Shadow's head.

"My turn." Shadow taunted, a huge smile dominating his face. The gunblade thrust into Durge's gut, and Shadow pulled it's trigger. A hole exploded out of Durge's back, the bullet traveling clean through him, and actually killing one of the Soldiers that had formed a circle around Shadow and Durge. Durge stumbled back, falling down.

"Get him!" Durge ordered, and started crawling away desperately. The soldiers sprung into action, charging at Shadow. Just then the Shera flew straight at them, and slowed to a stop, hovering above them. Shadow watched as several people jumped from the airship, apparently they thought he needed help. Shadow sliced one of the soldiers cleanly in two, and then ran after Durge, who was being helped into a truck that had plowed through their own men to get to their royalty. Shadow threw the shorter of his two weapons at Durge, but seeing this, one of the men helping Durge into the truck grabbed by the blade, and redirected it at Shadow. Shadow caught it, and continued to run at them. The man who had saved Durge's life rushed Shadow, a sword at the ready. The two men clashed amidst a battle that had broken out as the WRO lines managed to break through the enemies front lines. Six people had lept from the Shera and were now fighting along side them. The man clashed with Shadow spoke through gritted teeth as he locked blades with Shadow. "You can not match blades with one of the royal guards."

"Fine," Shadow said, bring his second weapon up and firing a shot. The shot tore away have of the man's face, leaving him dead on the ground. "I'll just cheat then." He looked up to see that the truck was racing away. He was about to bound after it, when a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind.

"We have to go." The voice said. Shadow turned around to find himself face to face with one of his most hated people. The next words that were spoken were a tone of shock. "You?"

"Strife, you just made a huge mistake." Shadow said, as he swatted Cloud's hand away.

"Brother!" Cyrus said, emerging from the fray. "Now is not the time, we have to go!"

Cyrus's pleas went unheard, as Shadow glared at Cloud, who was annoyed at Shadow's reaction to him. Cloud hadn't seen Shadow since the day he had been thrown out of the SOLDIER training camp.

"What's your problem!" Cloud demanded.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but we really should be going!" Cyrus pleaded, trying to get them to come.

Instead of answering him, Shadow swung his weapon at Cloud's head, which Cloud barely managed to block with his own weapon. Cloud jumped back, bringing his sword up into a ready position.

"Because of you," Shadow said, closing his eyes. "I lost the single most important person in my life." Shadow reopened his eyes, and took a step towards Cloud. "You were right there. You could of saved her, but you didn't."

"What are you talking about!" Cloud demanded.

"Don't worry, you killed her, and now I'm going to kill you!" Shadow yelled, rushing towards Cloud. The pure rage in Shadow's eyes made it clear that someone would have to die that day.


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91

The rest happened in a flash. Shadow swung the blade upward, catching Cloud's face. The blood began to pour from the deep wound, as Cloud staggered back. Cyrus moved as quickly as he could, getting in between Shadow and Cloud. Cyrus raised his hands to stop Shadow. "Brother, enough is enough. That man is your ally now, and you are going to have to accept that." Cyrus reasoned.

"Move aside." Shadow said quietly.

"No, I won't. I am your elder brother, so listen to me damn it! He is a strong and valuable ally, and we could use his... AH!" Cyrus cried out in pain as Shadow swung his blade, cutting bother of Cyrus's hands off. Cyrus fell to the ground, blood spraying from his wrists. Shadow cruelly kicked Cyrus in in the side, causing him to slide a few feet, and get out of the way. Cloud had been attacked by an enemy Soldier, who had exploited the wound Shadow had caused him, and the Soldier was now on top of Cloud, preparing to finish him in his weakened state. Shadow grabbed the man by the head, and threw him, sending him fly through the air, and crashing to the ground a few dozen feet away. Shadow raised his weapon, preparing to kill his long hated foe.

"Stop!" Cried a female voice. Shadow turned to it, mistaking who it was.

"Aerith!" He cried, looking in the direction it came from. It was not Aerith, however, but Tifa who had cried out. She ran over to Cloud's side, and knelt beside him.

"Just stop it. Enough, you've hurt him, now just leave him alone." Tifa demanded. Shadow stared at Tifa, and then his eyes drifted to her hand. The brilliant ring upon her finger. A cruel smile spread across Shadow's face as he turned his stare to Cloud.

"Very well Strife, I won't kill you for killing her." Shadow said, and he turned to walk away. Tifa began helping Cloud to his feet, but both fell to the ground, one on top of the other. Cloud stared of Tifa's shoulder up at Shadow, as Shadow cruelly twisted the blade embedded in Tifa's back.

"Just enough penetration to pierce her heart." Shadow said, his smile growing. "We're even Cloud." Cloud watched as Shadow slowly turned, and walked into the battle being waged just feet from him. For some reason, he was reminded of the day in Nibelheim long ago, when Sephiroth had vanished into the flames that consumed the town. He rolled Tifa onto her side.

"Tifa!" He cried out, as he pressed his hand against her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"I'm fine..." Tifa said weakly. She tried to sit up, but couldn't get herself to.

"Tifa, don't move, and you'll be ok." Cloud said. "I'll go get help."

"Cloud, don't." She pleaded. "Just stay with me.

Cloud sobbed as the woman he loved slowly died in his arms.


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92

It had been five days since he killed her mercilessly, and he felt horrible about it. He thought that by taking her away from him, he'd force Cloud to suffer the same way he had, but some how Shadow's lust for vengeance went unsatisfied. He sat by the the lake, staring into the waters, knowing the body of the woman he loved most lay just under the surface.

"You know what the Neo Materia can do right?" A voice spoke, causing Shadow to jump. He was on his feet, his weapon ready to strike. Markus's spirit stood before him.

"Leave me alone." Shadow said, turning back to the lake.

"The Neo Materia is one of three. Holy, Meteor, and Neo are all the same. Family if you would. They are not manufactured, one of a kind."

"I said leave me alone!" Shadow said, swinging the gunblade. The blade went straight threw Markus.

"Neo is the strongest materia in existence. It can do the one thing you want most. If you were to obtain it, you would be truly immortal. You'd be able to do anything."

"what are you getting at?" Shadow demanded.

"Aerith. You could actually resurrect Aerith with the materia. All you need to do is obtain it."

"And how can I find it? I've betrayed Cyrus, and only he knew where it was. I could ask father, but I doubt he'd help me now. I'm all alone."

"I'm with you." Markus pointed out.

"Completely alone." Shadow said softly.  
"What about me?"

"I have no one."

"Fine, sulk, but don't say I didn't try to tell you it's location."

"Wait!" Shadow said, stopping Markus in his tracks. "Where is it?"

"It's here, in the city. There's a doorway that you can open to find a way into the Life stream. It is there, guarded by an ancient civilization."

"Why are you helping me."

"Because in return for me helping you, you'll resurrect me." Markus said.

"And why would I do that?"  
"Cause I helped you, and you wouldn't treat me like that."

"It's your fault she died!" Shadow said angrily.

"Is it? I doubt that."

"You personally killed Tashia!"

"It was an accident. Cyrus moved, and Sephiroth killed Aerith. I never touched anyone on purpose."

"Fine, I'll think about it."

"OK, now here's how you find the doorway." Markus said.


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Shadow found himself standing in front of the ancient doorway, that would lead him to the Neo Materia. He stepped forward, preparing to open it when a voice called his name behind him. That she would even speak to him brought a tear to his eye.

"What?" He asked.

"You've made so many mistakes, but it's ok." She said.

"I've killed someone who was innocent, a friend of yours. How can you stand there and talk to me like that?" He asked. "I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"I love you Shadow, I could never let you think that you were completely alone."

Shadow turned to face her. "You don't love me the same way I love you."

"Perhaps not, but you still hold a large place in my heart. You don't have to do what you plan to do. Quite the opposite, I have to ask you not to do it."

"I will do it, and you will live again. If not for you, then for the world. The world did not deserve to loose someone like you, you were one of the last decent people on this planet."

"Shadow, we all have our own destiny. Mine was to die saving the planet."

"And mine is to bring you back." Shadow said, turning and walking up to the doorway. Her next words went unheard as he pushed the doors open.

==##==

Shadow expected to be thrust into a battle immediately, he suspected to have to fight his way through some deep dark cavern to find the materia he sought. He instead found himself completely alone, surrounded my bright green hills, and fields of flowers as far as the eye could see. Completely lost as to what he should do next, he began to walk. He had no idea where he was going, but his feet seemed to know. Finally, a small town appeared on the horizon. Shadow picked up his pace slightly, approaching the town. As he got closer and closer, he realized that it was not as small as he though, and after passing a few lone houses, he came to the ledge. Looking down into the huge crater in the ground, he saw thousands upon thousands of buildings, ranging from standard houses, to elaborate buildings. Standing in the center of the town, like a giant bullseye, was a brilliant castle.

"It's in the castle." Damian said, suddenly appearing behind Shadow. Shadow spun around, one of his weapons ready to fight. Damian smiled. "Relax, I'm not going to kill you. I already did my test, you passed."

"Then what are you doing here?" Shadow demanded.

"I'm helping you, as is my purpose."

"Well, thanks but no thanks. I wouldn't trust you to bring in my mail." Shadow said, turning back towards the crater.

"Well, even if you don't trust me, what better idea do you have to find the materia? I'm telling you where it is, and you're going to blow me off just because you don't like me? Fine, I'm out of here."

Shadow turned to speak, but Damian was gone. "I really don't understand him." Shadow said, turning back to the city. Shrugging, he began his descent into the heart of the city, heading for the castle.


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Shadow was overcome by how clean the city was, the complete opposite of Midgar. People passed by him, no one giving him a second glance, despite his unique appearance when contrasted with those passing by him. With everyone wearing light, bright colors, Shadow's black outfit stuck out like a sore thumb. It also didn't help that he didn't even try to hide his MAKO scarred skin, the lines glowing brilliantly on his hands, and face. As he turned a corner, he noticed two men, dressed in golden robes, behind him. So much for going unnoticed. He slowly quickened his pace, making sure the two men went on unaware that he was aware of them. He turned into an alleyway, and waited for the two men to turn the corner. They were shocked when they came face to face with him.

"hi." Shadow said, grabbing the closer of the two by the arm. He twisted it, snapping it easily, and threw the wounded man to the ground. The second one turned to run, but Shadow grabbed him by his collar. "Why are you following me!" Shadow demanded.

"You're from the outside, you're not supposed to be here. It's not supposed to be possible for your kind to cross the threshold."

Shadow smiled. "I'm one of a kind." Shadow drew the shorter of his two weapons, and stabbed the man in the stomach repeatedly. He turned to other man, who was cradling his arm on the ground. "Go tell your leader that I'm coming, and I'm going to take his materia."

"He already knows you're here, you'll never defeat him." The man spat.

"Really? Well in that case..." Shadow said, firing a shot into the man's forehead. The man collapsed to the ground, dead. "Well, so much for stealth." Shadow reasoned. He left the alley at a run, heading in the direction of the huge castle.

==##==

Shadow didn't even give the guards at the castle gates a chance, rushing at them with his weapons ready. They barely saw him, as he sped at them. He ended both of their lives in one fell swoop. The locked gate didn't prove much more of a challenge as he cut through the large door. Inside the castle grounds, a sad attempt at organization as squad after squad charged him, only to have their attempts ended quickly considering Shadow was outnumbered hundreds of men all trying to stop his assault.

"If that fucking materia isn't here, I'm going to be pissed." Shadow thought to himself as he ended life after life. He moved to strike at one of the few foes that were left, but she brought up her weapon to stop his attack. He stared at the young woman, she couldn't be much older than twenty. In each hand, she wielded a bladed tonfa. Shadow suddenly noticed that the rest of the soldiers were standing back.

"Let me guess, you're important." Shadow said with a smirk. The woman responded with a kick to Shadow's gut, causing him to stumble back, having been caught off guard. The woman rushed at Shadow, and the two began to fight. In the crowd, another unique warrior, this one male, arrived.

"What the hell are you men doing!" He demanded to the soldiers. "You're letting my sister fight him alone!"

"But sir," One of the men tried to reason. "The princess ordered us not to interfere."

"Cynthia is not ready for a warrior that powerful, you fool!" The man said, raising his hand to strike the soldier.

"Brother!" Another man said, catching the other man's arm. "Let her try, she's not doing half bad."

"And you, Drake? You think she can succeed in defeating him?"

"No, Xavier. But that's when me and you will join the fray."


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Shadow kicked the woman, causing her to stumble back. He quickly put the longer of his gunblades away, smiling at the woman. "You don't talk much do you? Well, that's good, because I'll just kill you faster." The Cynthia charged at him again, her movements where quick, even to Shadow. He jumped to the side, just as she struck at where he was just standing. He thrust his weapon forward, missing her just barely. She tore into him with a flurry of kicks, and finished with her tonfa slicing into Shadow's cheek. Shadow jumped back, placing his hand on his cheek. He could feel it healing beneath his hand. "You know what, no more games!" Shadow said, thrusting his weapon forward. The girl sidestepped, but was unprepared for Shadow to sweep his sword sideways. The blade cut into the Cynthia's side. Shadow watched, as she pulled away from the blade, his side already healing. "Well, at least I know that the Neo Materia is definitely here." Shadow said, spinning to attack. His blade made contact with steel, he finished his rotation finding himself face to face with not the woman he was fighting, but a man. Without a word, Shadow recognized who was his new foe. He shifted his advances at the man. The man easily parried all of Shadow's attacked, his straight sword moving so quickly, Shadow could hear it cut the wind.

"Can you take him, Drake?" Another man asked, as he helped Cynthia flee.

"Just go and barricade the castle with the remaining men. I'll be there with this man's head within the hour." Shadow continued to fight on, as the crowd dissipated, with the meeting of their blades, sparks flew as the two men continued to wage battle.

"Let's just make things clear." Drake said, locking blades with Shadow. "You are going to kill me, but we both know that I'm going to wound you gravely, and you will fail to defeat my three siblings."

"You talk to much." Shadow spat, spinning around and slamming his blade against Drake's blade.

"I'm faster." Drake taunted. Shadow brought his knee up into Drake's groin, causing him to double over, and then lifted the knee up into Drake's face. Drake stumbled back, clutching himself, and watched as Shadow lifted his gunblade, and shot Drake in the chest. Blood slowly began to flow from the wound, as Drake stared at Shadow. Slowly, a smile spread on his face. "I've been touched by the Neo Materia. You can't kill me like that."

Shadow glared at Drake as the bullet wound began to heal. "You want a fast death, fine! I'm the fastest." Shadow challenged, drawing his second gunblade. The two men charged at each other, crashing against each other with such force that sparks flew from where their weapons met. The two struggled to over power the other, until finally Drake spoke.

"Neither of us are going to be able to over power the other." He said.

"That's why I have two." Shadow said, lifting his second gunblade. Drake watched as Shadow swung it, aiming it at Drake's neck. The blade cleaved through it cleanly, not even getting blood on it. Drake stared at Shadow blankly, and then the pressure against Shadow's blade decreased, and then stopped. Drake began to fall slowly, slamming onto the ground. The force of the landing finally caused the head to separate from the body, rolling away.

"So what's next?" Shadow asked himself.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Shadow walked up to the large oak door that led to the castle interior. He could sense that on the other side of the barricaded door, they were waiting for him. But beyond that, he could sense a great power. The Neo Materia? It had to be. Shadow drew his gunblade, holding it at the ready. He knew there was no going back, he had to take that materia. He swung the sword, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, the door began to fall away, splitting at where he had cut it. He heard concerned voices inside, as the door finally fell away from the rest. Shadow stared at the group inside, the brother and sister in front of the squad of soldiers.

"Go protect father, I will fight him." The male said.

"No Xavier, he killed Drake. Drake was the strongest of us, we should take him together." The sister argued.

"No, we can not leave father unguarded. You go now, and I'll try to stop him here." he said. Then he turned his attention to the group of men behind them. "Men, charge the enemy."

Shadow smiled as the enemy charged him, Xavier leading them. Xavier was almost upon Shadow by the time he drew his weapon, and elaborate mace, encrested in an mixture of jewels.

"I'll kill you!" Xavier yelled, swing the mace. Shadow laughed at his slow speed, and easily dodged the attack. Before even three attacks had taken place, the fight was over, for Shadow swung his sword quickly after sidestepping and cleanly removed Xavier's head from his shoulders. Shadow was shocked when the soldiers continued to rush him, having thought they're flee when they saw their leader fall. Shadow tried to move himself into a defensive stance, but found himself unable. "What!" Shadow uttered, surprised by his sudden paralysis. He watched as the soldiers rushed him, screaming like wild beasts. The closest ones had almost reached him when he heard a familiar voice laugh.

"Just fooling with you." Damian's voice said, and immediately after, Shadow found himself able to move again. Shadow lept back as one of the soldiers thrust a spear towards him, unfortunately the weapon still managed to stab into his hand, causing him to drop his weapon. Shadow grabbed the weapon, and pulled, sending the wielder flying through the air. He spun, thrusting the weapon outward, and knocking back many of the men that were attempting to encircle him. He drew his remaining gunblade from it's sheath, and tore into the men. A blood mist filled the air, as one by one, the soldier's lives ended. Shadow slay them all mercilessly, but he knew that despite so much death caused by his hands, he was in the right. He had already killed thousands in her name, and he would double that if need be. Only minutes after the battle had begun, he stood alone, amidst the mountain of bodies. Blood coated his skin so thickly, that even the glow of his Mako scarred skin could not be seen. Slowly, he began to walk in the direction that the girl had gone, leading to a decorative door. Something told him, that beyond that door he would find the thing he sought.


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Shadow kicked the door open, causing it to actually fly off of it's hinges. There were only two people inside of the room, when Shadow entered. The woman, Cynthia, stood to the left of a huge, diamond throne. Sitting upon the throne, Shadow could only guess was the king. And to the right of the throne, laying on a diamond pedestal, was the object which Shadow sought after. It was twice the size of the average materia, and glowed white. Shadow began walking through the room, the high ceilings reflected the floor. Shadow quickly scanned it, checking it for possible ambush. As he drew near the throne, the old, broken man that would soon be the former king of Neo stood up. In a weak, broken voice, he spoke: "You do not understand what you aim to do. If you have any shred of humanity left, you will leave this place."

Shadow clutched the handle of his gunblade, staring at the old man. It also didn't escape his vision of the woman slowly drawing her weapons. Shadow smirked at the old man. "You ignorant old man, I'd have to be human to have humanity." In a flash, before the woman could even react, the king was on the floor, Shadow on top of him. "I became a monster a long time ago." The woman charged at Shadow, who jumped to his feet, his foot against the king's throat. He lifted his blade, pressing the tip against the woman's chest. Shadow flicked his wrist, and in a flash, disarmed the woman. He looked down at the king, and then over at the materia. "Now I have a problem, I don't want to kill you, but if I go to take the materia, your daughter will stop me. It'd be easier for me to remove her from the equation."

"No, she won't." The king said weakly. "Just take Neo and leave us."

"But father!" The woman began to protest, but the king cut her off.

"Silence! Let him have what he wants."

Shadow smirked at the woman, and then moved over to the pedestal. He laughed, as the woman glared at him. Slowly, Shadow reached out for the materia, he could feel the energy resonating from the orb. Shadow shot his hand forward, grabbing the orb he had been told was his destiny for so long. The power surged into him, the Mako scars changed from orange to white, and glowed fiercely. Shadow felt himself lift into the air as the power surged through him. Finally, it all stopped, and Shadow dropped to the ground.

"You've done it!" Markus said, appearing beside him. "You got the materia."

"Leave!" Shadow commanded him.

"No, we had a deal. You said you'd resurrect me." Markus argued. "I told you where to find it, I want my payment."

Shadow lifted his arm, pointing it at Markus. "You killed Tashia."

Markus's eyes went wide, as a beam of white shot from Shadow's hand, striking him. In a second, Markus was gone, erased from existance. Shadow turned his attention to the father and daughter, who were now staring at him.

"I'll give you guys a chance." Shadow said, a malicious smile spreading on his lips.


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Shadow stood in the night, the starless, and moonless night above. But by no means was it dark, nor was it cold. The fire before him made sure of that. Yes, the city was burning quite nicely indeed. It would provide all the light Shadow would need in order to make it back to the gateway that lead to Shell village. The lost city. What ever they wished to call it. Shadow only knew it as the place where he had lost so much. But the wrongs of that day were almost right again, Markus was dead, and soon Aerith would be revived. That was only the beginning. Shadow would destroy anything holding the planet back, and make way for a new world. A clean world, void of war, of pain, sorrow and death. The soft grass was trampled easily under Shadow's feet as he walked back towards the exit of where ever this place was. He still wasn't sure if it was just a hidden city, or a whole, other realm. He guessed it didn't matter, as he would destroy the doorway as soon as he left this place. Whatever the fate of the former citizens of the realm, was not up to Shadow to decide. He had bigger, more important things to do.

"It's only right for me to do it there." Shadow said out loud, though not to himself.

"You shouldn't be doing it at all." Damian said, matching Shadow's stride. The two dopplegangers walked side by side, but the differences between them were obvious now.

"I still have no idea what you are." Shadow said, spotting the exit to the realm in the distance. Next to him, Damian shook his head.

"You'll know soon enough, for now I'm going to leave. There is another on her way to see you."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.

"Before you entered this place, Aerith was begging you not to. She'll have something to say about you ignoring her, I think."

Shadow didn't even bother to respond, as he knew that Damian was already gone. Damian, however, was right. As soon as Shadow stepped through the doorway, he found himself in a familiar field of flowers. As he suspected, Aerith's voice came from behind him.

"Why?" She asked, her voice sounded sad.

"So that we... you could be happy." Shadow responded, turning to face her. Her face was stained in tears.

"Do I look happy?" She asked. Her voice was elevated slightly. Shadow could sense that she was making a final, desperate attempt to get through to him. "You've killed so many people, and though hurt, I could except that back when they were the bad guys, but you've changed Shadow. You killed innocent people. You've killed a lot of them."

"All of them for you." Shadow reasoned.

"All of them for that!" Aerith said, point to Shadow's hand. "All you wanted was that stupid materia."

"So I could bring you back." Shadow said, remaining calm.

"I don't want to come back." Aerith said through her tears.

"You'll change your mind." Shadow said. "You'll see once I do it."

"Shadow!" A voice demanded from behind him. Shadow didn't have to turn to recognize the voice. It wasn't Aerith's, and definitely wasn't dead.

"Cyrus." Shadow growled through gritted teeth.


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99

"Brother, listen to the girl." Cyrus reasoned. He stood behind Shadow, both hands missing from when Shadow cut them off. His eye also gone, and his face and body covered in scars.

"Hold on one second love." Shadow told Aerith, and then spun around. In a flash, Shadow aimed his fist at Cyrus, and shot a beam of light that knocked Cyrus back. Shadow spun back towards Aerith, and stepped to the side. "Do you see! Do you see what I can do!" Shadow exclaimed, pointing at his brother. Cyrus slowly climbed back to his feet, his appearance before Shadow's first death had been restored. No scars, No missing body parts. Even his hair had changed back to it's dark black color. "I did this, I reversed time. I can do anything I want to. Hell Aerith, I'm a god!"

"No." Aerith said, shaking her head. "You're just Shadow, my brother. For years, I've heard you say it all. You're not a monster, and you're definitely not nothing, but you're not a god either."

"This power wasn't meant to be used by humans." Cyrus added.

"Enough!" Shadow said. "You go away." He said, pointing at Aerith. He turned to Cyrus, the field of flowers gone, forced from his mind. "You can follow me, but don't try and stop me." Shadow said, before storming off towards the center of the village. Cyrus ran after him.

"You can't do this." Cyrus pleaded. "It is me and your job to destroy the materia, not use it."

"How can you say that after I returned your appearance to you, your health?" Shadow asked. "I'm like a god."

"Then why don't you look like one, brother?" Cyrus pointed out. "Why are you still carrying your Mako scars?"

Shadow stopped in his tracks, looking down at his hands, his arms. The white lines showed visible on his skin, the Mako running through his veins. He knew that he could easily removed them, but for some reason... he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Without a word, he continued onward until he finally came to the lake, Cyrus following him the whole way. Upon entering the room, Shadow was shocked to see people waiting for him. One of the people waiting, step forward towards him.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Tifa." Cloud said, raising his buster sword.


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Shadow stared at the people in front of him. He recognized all the faces, but only knew some of them. He recognized Vincent from there meeting, also Reeve was there, and his pathetic toy cat. He also recognized the other members from the group Aerith had joined to stop Sephiroth. He heard voices behind him, and turned. He was once again shocked to see Tashia Tifa, and Sythe's spirits behind him. Despite the mass gathering, he noticed that Aerith was gone. Anyone else missing? Where was Damian? Shadow began to laugh.

"Brother, I hoped to talk you out of this." Cyrus said, a mellow toned voice.

Shadow's laughter became a mixture of laughter and screaming. He looked at Cyrus, and manage to get out some words between his laughing. "You think you're gonna stop me physically?"

Before Markus could reply, time froze around them, but this was not Shadow's doing.

"Oh boy, this is bad." Damian said. Shadow turned to find him sitting in the second story window of the house near the lake. "I say we surrender while they let us."

"I'm getting tired of you." Shadow said, looking at Damian.

"Why do we look alike?" Damian asked.

"How should I know?"

"Because," Damian said, leaping to the ground. "You created me."

"What are you talking about!" Shadow demanded.

"Have you ever noticed that you're the only one who ever talks to me?"

"That happens a lot. I talk to the dead." Shadow reasoned.

"Ah, but still the dead converse with each other. Time stops for the dead, and the dead stop for me."

"Go away!" Shadow demanded.

"I'm your imagination, make me go away." Damian said.

"Shut up!"

"But why would you imagine me?"

"You're not my imagination, you've done things that affected the world."

"It was all you." Damian said. "Killing dad's ghost, surviving the fall with Bull, all of it was you."

"You're wrong."

"Back to my question, why would you imagine me?"

"I don't know." Shadow said, he felt like a little kid again, all alone on the streets, no one to care for him.

"It's because you are... insane."

"Shut up!" Shadow screamed, lashing out towards Damian, who jumped back.

"Wow, you really are a monster." Damian said, smirking. Damian vanished, leaving Shadow standing in the center of everyone, all of them staring at him.

"Shadow?" Cyrus asked uncertainly.

Shadow turned his head, the look of insanity in his eyes.

"You can stop this now."

Shadow looked from face to face, before knowing what he must do. Finally, he spoke. "I won't hurt any of you. I'm done hurting the innocent." He said. He watched as everyone lowered their guards, and chose that point to finish his thought. "But I won't let you stop me!" He yelled, sending a powerful shock wave throughout the cavern. Both living, and dead were affected evenly, as they were thrown back. Shadow bounded into the water, diving into it in search of what he needed. Finally, he found what he was looking for. Cradling Aerith's body in his arms, he resurface. By the time he made it to shore, everyone were starting to wake up from the blast. Having been honest about not wishing to fight anymore, he ran for the exit.

"Shadow, Stop!" Cyrus pleaded as Shadow raced past him, Aerith's body in his arms.


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Shadow ran through the night, dodging back and forth between the trees of the forest. He knew where he needed to go, it was the only place that was right to resurrect her. He just hoped that with all that had transpired of the years, it was still standing. He heard the roar of the airship's engines above him, searching for him through the tree tops. Shadow began to pick up speed, running as fast as he felt he could without causing any damage to the fragile body in his hands. For now, he was safe, but he would soon exit the trees that hid him from the others, and they would be able to see him. He could probably outrun the ship, but he wasn't sure about his abilities quite yet. Finally, he could see light breaking through the trees. He knew that it was time to take action. He burst out of the trees, and was immediately caught in the search light of the Shera. He ran faster, now clear of any obstacles. Clutching Aerith's body close to him, he ran, but the airship managed to keep up with him. They ran for almost an hour, until finally Shadow came to the ocean. He stopped, turning to face the airship as it drew near. The search light shined onto him, illuminating him even further than his scars did. His tattered clothing blew in the wind caused by the ship's thrusters. Carefully, Shadow set down Aerith's body, making sure not to harm it. Once it was on the ground, Shadow aimed his hands at the ship. Cid must of seen this aboard the ship, because the ship began to turn away.

"Too late." Shadow said, as beams of light erupted from his hands. They shot towards the airship, and struck the right side engine. The engine died, causing the ship to start to spin as the thrust power became unbalanced. The airship began to fall towards the ground on a crash course, but Shadow wasn't done yet. He shot out another beam, causing the Ship to steady itself. Slowly, Shadow lowered the ship down safely. "I told you, I won't hurt no one else." Shadow said, bending to pick of Aerith. He turned, staring at the ocean.

"Shadow, stop!" He heard Cyrus call from behind him. Shadow turned, seeing Shadow jumping from the airship, which was now on the ground. Cyrus was running towards him. Shadow turned back towards the water, and started to run towards it. Upon reaching the water, he placed his foot on the surface, and pushed off, running on top of the water. He looked back, seeing Cyrus standing on the shore watching him. Shadow turned back forward, running the direction he believed Midgar to be in. "Just a little longer." He whispered in Aerith's ear.


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Shadow arrived at the church in the ruins of Midgar just as the sun was coming up. Entering it, he walked up the aisle, standing next to the small pond that was there. Looking around, he set Aerith on one of the pews, and sat down next to her. After a few moments to catch his breath, he stood up, and stood in front of her. Raising his hands, he prepared to resurrect her and finally be with the one he loved again.

"Stop!" A voice commanded. Shadow turned around, watching as Damian dropped from the rafters. "We need to talk Shadow."

"No, we don't!" Shadow snapped. "You're not even real!"

"I am to you, and I sincerely suggest you change your mind. If you resurrect Aerith now, it will lead to the destruction of the planet in the future."

"I don't care about the future." Shadow said. "I care about Aerith, and I finally have the chance to be with her again."

"What do I have to say to get through to you!" Damian yelled, exasperated.

"You don't have to say anything." Another voice said. Shocked, both Shadow and Damien looked in the direction it came from. They were surprised to find Aerith's spirit standing next to her body.

"You can see him?" "You can see me?" The two said in unison.

"Yes," Aerith said. "I've always known what you were thinking, Shadow. You can leave now Damien, I will take care of everything now."

Damien nodded, and turned around. He began to walk away as he was fading. When he was completely gone, his voiced echoes around them. "Why do I get the feeling I won't be coming back."

Finally, the two stood in silence, staring at each other for a moment. Finally, Shadow spoke.

"I've done it." He said, walking over to Aerith and her body. "It's right here, I have the ability to bring you back." he said, smiling at her.

"I don't want to come back Shadow, I've explained that."

Shadow looked at her, hurt. "But, I've done so much to get to this moment. This is my destiny, to bring you back."

"No, Shadow. It's not." Aerith said.

"But then what is?" Shadow asked.

"To destroy the materia." A voice said from the doorway. Shadow watched as Cyrus entered the Church.

"What, how?" Shadow asked.

"You gave me back my abilities, brother." Cyrus explained. "But that's not important. You need to listen to us."

"You don't understand!" Shadow yelled at his brother. He turned to Aerith, and took her hands. "You'll realize how happy you are when you're back." He said, staring into her eyes. He was shocked when he saw tears form in them. Not knowing what else to do, he concentrated on the orb inside his body. It appeared in his hand. Finally, Shadow spoke again, his tone more serious, more somber. "it's all about this isn't it?"

Aerith nodded.

"What happens when I destroy it?" Shadow asked. Cyrus and Aerith stared at him, but didn't say anything. "I die right?"

Aerith turned away, causing Shadow to look at Cyrus.

"Yeah, you die." Cyrus said.

"Don't you dare lie to him!" Aerith snapped, snapping her head towards Cyrus's direction, glaring at him. "Tell him the truth!"

"Fine." Cyrus said, sighing. "You don't die, you never die. You'll be trapped, forever, in a stasis. Alone, apart from both the living and the dead. Destined to be alone for all eternity."

Shadow swallowed, shaken by this discovery. Behemoths, super soldiers, mobsters. Shadow had survived a lot, had even gone so far to die, and be brought back. This was something he wasn't sure he was strong enough to take.

"Listen Shadow..." Cyrus began to say, but was cut off. Shadow knew exactly what he had to choice, it was the only right choice to make.

"Shut up!" he yelled at Cyrus. "Tell Cloud to go to Tifa." he said, as the materia glowed in his hand. When it dulled again, he dropped the orb from his hand. As it fell to the ground, he turned to Aerith. "I love you." He said quickly, as he lifted his foot, and stomped on the materia, shattering it. He knew that if he didn't do it quick, he wouldn't do it at all. Slowly, Shadow's skin began to harder, turning to diamond. It started at his right leg, and began to spread. Shadow stared at Aerith, who was now crying. He reached out and wiped away a tear.

"It'll be ok." Shadow said, as the spread reached his chest. "It'll all be ok."

Aerith watched, as the transformation completed. Shadow, now more a statue than a person, was destined to stand in that church from the rest of time. Crying, Aerith threw herself against him. Cyrus watched as she wept against him, and then turned and left the church.

"I love you." Aerith said, pressing her hand against the face of the diamond figure. "You were never a monster." She added, before fading away, departing for the lifestream.


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter 103

The next day, a group of people gathered at the church. In his life, Shadow had touched a lot of people. Helped a lot of people. It was a memorial of sorts, as these people gathered at the church. Cyrus was among them, talking to some of them. Finally, he felt it was time. Climbing onto one of the fallen pillars, he cleared his voice and spoke.

"Excuse me, can I have your attention." Cyrus said, causing the chatter around him to fall silent. Dozens of faces looked up with him, waiting for him to continue. "Thank you." he said, continuing. "For those of you who don't know, I'm am Cyrus, Shadow's brother. You know, I didn't meet my brother until after some of you did. I left home before he was born, and by the time I made it back, my family was dead. It was quite a shock when I found my brother alive some years later, carved into a fearless, unstoppable warrior. Honestly, I was less than impressed. My family were always good intentioned, but I admit that sometimes they went about things the wrong way, Shadow included. My brother became obsessed with seeing his adoptive sister again, I'll never know why either. But what I do know is that his obsession lead to him doing many things, some great, some terrible. In the end of it all, however, my brother stole a powerful magic, and had the means to do anything he wanted. Anything. Up until the end, I thought my brother was my enemy, that I'd have to fight him. Defeat him and save us all. As it turns out, I was wrong. Yesterday morning, my brother arrived at this church, prepared to see his dreams come true. The opposite happened, when for the sake of humanity, he gave it all up. In his last act, forgave a man he hated, and righted a wrong he had committed when using the materia, he resurrected one of the victims of his rage. Tifa Lockhart, who is here tonight with her fiancé, Cloud Strife, died by my brother's hand, but was brought back by it as well. Then, he did something that caught me off guard. In only seconds, he destroyed the materia, and condemned himself into an eternity alone. By doing this, he save all of us from the end of days. My brother sacrificed not only himself, but his dreams, to save us. I say we never forget what happened, never let the story die of the orphan who rose up high enough to save the world. Add him to the names of Vincent Valentine, and Cloud Strife, who saved the world. Remember his always. Thank you." he finished his speech, receiving a polite applause before the guests went back to talking amongst themselves. Trying not to draw attention, Cyrus slipped inside the church, approaching what remained of his brother.

"I'm not much of a speech giver, but I think people will learn about what you did." he said, stopping a few feet from the statue. "I was happy, when I realized it was you, and not me, who would have to make the sacrifice, but now I regret it. I don't know what you're going through, brother, but I wish I could take your place." Cyrus said, as he stared into the face of the statue. After a few minutes, he turned around, and left the church again and sealed the doors behind him, leaving the statue of Shadow to stand strong for all eternity.


	104. Chapter 104

Epilogue

Shadow stood in the darkness, nothing around him, no trace of light, no sound. No knowing what else to do, he started walking. He walked on, and on, not even sure if he kept going the same direction, not knowing if there were a direction.

"at least there is gravity." Shadow reasoned. "I know which way is up, and which way is down."

He continued to walk, for how long he didn't know. Minutes? Days? Years? Centuries? Suddenly, Shadow was showered in a bright light, forcing him to shield his eyes. When his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he removed his hand. He found himself in a familiar field, and turned around three sixty.

"I guess I was wrong about not showing up again." Damian said, appearing in front of Shadow.

"What? How? I thought I was doomed to be alone." Shadow said, confused. Damian walked up to him, and poked him in the head.

"Duh, I'm your imagination, remember?" Damian said. A sword appeared in his hand, and he offered it to Shadow. "We have a fight to finish."

Shadow smirked. "I never back down from a fight." He said, as he grabbed the handle of the sword.

The end


End file.
